


you're telling lies

by clexaclub



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cop!Lexa, F/F, police thriller, special agent!Clarke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:41:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 44,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23966317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clexaclub/pseuds/clexaclub
Summary: Lexa is a cop and Clarke is a federal agent. Lexa does not want Clarke's help, but they must work together to catch a serial killer.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 198
Kudos: 619





	1. Chapter 1

Lexa Woods was feeling particularly grumpy this morning. There were many reasons for this. For one, the coffee machine was at the police station broken. Anya delivered the bad news as soon as she arrived. By then it was too late to grab a cup from her favorite coffee shop three blocks away. 

“You think the coroner will let me steal a cup from his office?” Lexa asked whoever would listen. 

Lincoln did not look up from his computer as he replied, “You want dead people coffee?” 

Now Lexa would not be able to drink it without thinking of a corpse dipping their rotting finger into it. She blamed Lincoln for that image. But she was desperate for something to wake her up. Lexa had been on patrol until one in the morning, so she barely slept four hours. Lincoln had been in the squad car with her all night, but he seemed oddly refreshed. Octavia had probably woken him up with sex or breakfast. Lincoln’s girlfriend spoiled him. The two of them had something everyone in the world wanted. Lexa would be lying if she said she was not jealous. 

“Woods, Greene, get your asses in here,” the police chief called from his office doorway. 

Lexa stepped into her boss’s office and noticed his coffee mug was full. Of course, he would find someone to share. If only Lexa had that kind of pull around here... 

“The two you of have been requested at a scene,” Kane said. 

Beat cops rarely got requested by the homicide team. It normally happened if they needed more information about the area or the people in that neighborhood. She assumed the homicide had happened in Lexa and Lincoln’s assigned district. 

“They want you there ASAP,” Kane said. 

Lexa internally smiled. They would have the freedom to stop for coffee on the way. Kane wrote the address on a slip of paper and held it out to her. Their boss insisted on writing things instead of texting. Lexa felt that it made things more difficult. Paper was so easy to lose. But no one argued with the chief. He had the authority to bump someone down to desk duty just for breathing the wrong way. 

On their way out of the police department, Lexa pulled the slip of paper out of the breast pocket of her police uniform. She read the words several times. Kane must have made some mistake. The paper said they were needed at a store on sixth street which was outside of their district. In fact, first through sixth street was the easiest district to patrol. Lincoln and Lexa were assigned to a district closer to fortieth street. 

There were murders in every district, but they happened less often on the single digit streets. The houses in that district cost millions of dollars and rent was astronomically high. Lexa would never be able to afford a place on sixth street unless she won the lottery. 

“Do you know what’s going on?” Lexa asked as she climbed into their squad car. 

“Nope,” Lincoln replied. “I was hoping you did.” 

It was her day to drive and she was thankful for that because it meant she would not have to argue with Lincoln to stop. Lexa parked the squad car against the curb of the coffee shop just a few minutes later. Lincoln rolled his eyes which Lexa thought was a bit dramatic and unfair. She did not have someone to make her a pot of coffee in the morning like her partner did. He probably sat around in bed like a prince while Octavia waited on him hand and foot. Lexa knew their relationship was mutually beneficial, but she was in a bad mood today. Lincoln was simply in her figurative line of fire. 

Lexa’s favorite barista was behind the counter this morning. The woman immediately set about making her usual order. 

“Good morning, Officer Woods,” Niylah said. 

“Good morning,” she replied. 

Lexa did her best not to sound annoyed. Niylah was her saving grace right now. Honestly, Lexa was excited to help the homicide crew. At least that would take them away from patrol for the day. But Lexa would never admit that. Lexa enjoyed being a beat cop, but the past month had been incredibly boring. The most exciting thing that happened was an elderly man breaking out of his nursing home. Lexa had no idea wheelchairs could move so fast. 

“Here’s your coffee,” Niylah said. “On the house, of course.” 

“You’re an angel,” Lexa said sincerely. She realized too late that the words had sounded overly flirtatious. 

Niylah blushed and waved her off. Lexa instantly felt bad for leading her on. But it was nice to feel wanted sometimes. Typically, the people who hit on her had a cop fetish and wanted her to use the handcuffs on them. It was not very fun in bed when she arrested people for a living. 

“You didn’t get me anything?” Lincoln asked when she returned to the car. 

“You're joking, right?” she asked. 

“I see how it is,” he said. “Just for that, I’m letting you write everything up at the end of the day.” 

“Like I wasn’t going to do that anyway,” she said. “You probably already planned on slipping out as soon as we got back to the station. Octavia have cramps again?” 

“Probably,” Lincoln said. 

“You know that I’m a woman, right?” Lexa asked. “I know how often women are on their periods.” 

“Kane doesn’t,” he replied, shrugging. 

Well, that part was true. Kane had never married as far as anyone knew. He did not discuss his personal life and he did not wear a wedding ring. Lexa liked the chief overall. He scared the shit out of her, but he knew more about police work than anyone she had ever met. That included her own father. In fact, her father had been Kane’s chief when she was young. Lincoln once said that it gave her a leg up. When those perks would kick in, Lexa had no idea. She was still stuck on one of the worst beats and had not been given a raise in years. To be fair, Lincoln had not received a raise either. 

When they arrived at the scene, the whole block was closed. Traffic was insane getting there, but Lexa did not mind the extra time it took to arrive. She would not have to suck down the hot liquid or dump it into the trash at the scene. By the time they arrived her cup was empty. Lexa might be addicted to caffeine. She cut herself some slack though. There were worse things to be addicted to and Lexa had seen them all. 

Ambulances and firetrucks lit up the block when they finally parked. She doubted anyone had survived by the number of cops and other people surrounding the scene. Journalists were already documenting what was going on and cameras were being set up. Beautiful female reporters were currently getting ready for live news reports. Lexa saw at least three of them pushing their boobs up higher. 

Lexa was accustomed to all of this. Crime scenes were always intense and murder scenes were even worse. 

“Fuck,” Lexa said suddenly. “The feds are here.” 

Lexa and Lincoln walked side-by-side onto the scene. The federal agents were easy to spot by the suits they wore. Every federal agent thought they were more important than cops. Therefore, the two groups did not typically get along. But there was something else that made this scene even worse. Lexa recognized the blonde hair and five-inch heels under one of the fed’s tight suit pants. 

The female agent turned around and spotted Lexa. She moved her sunglasses to the top of her head. 

“Took you long enough,” the blonde said. 

Lexa started walking towards her again. She was already debating if she could get out of this or not. All the excitement she felt earlier dissipated. 

“What are you doing here?” Lexa asked. 

“We have reasons to believe this murder was committed by someone we have been hunting for a while,” she said. “And I do not put my trust in small town police forces.” 

Lexa was seething as the woman walked away. “Fucking Clarke Griffin,” she grumbled. 

Lexa could not believe she was working with Clarke again. There were so many other places Lexa wished she were right now. She would rather get a root canal than work with Clarke. Apparently, the world was playing a cruel joke on her today. Maybe this was all a dream, she thought. 

“Jesus Christ,” Lincoln said. “That’s Clarke Griffin? You made her out to be some monster. She's tiny. And _blonde_.” 

“Just give her a minute to warm up,” Lexa replied. 

It did not take long for Clarke Griffin to get comfortable. She forced everyone to leave the store except her fed partner. Lexa did not remember this woman from the last time they worked together. She doubted that Clarke Griffin kept the same partner for too long. If Lexa’s memory served her correctly, Clarke Griffin had a knack for finding faults in everyone. 

“Are you going to come in or stand there and do nothing all day?” Clarke asked. 

Lexa cussed Clarke out under her breath which made Lincoln laugh. She doubted he would be laughing once he got to know Clarke better. Once inside the store, Lexa saw what all the fuss was about. A young woman was sprawled on the ground by the cash register. There was a wad of money near her hand as if she had taken it from the register to give to her murderer. Bargaining was common for someone about to die. 

At least Clarke had the decency to let them experience the scene without interruption. Lexa was positive that she would never get over staring death right in the face. Some cops built up a tolerance for it, but her father had never been that type of cop and Lexa doubted she was either. 

“Clean shot to the head,” Clarke said after a while. “Execution style.” 

“We don’t see those very often in this part of town,” Lincoln said. 

“I’m assuming that this crappy strip mall qualifies as high-end around here,” Clarke said as she squatted down next to the victim. 

Part of Lexa wanted to knock her heels out from under her. Lexa would pay to see the blonde agent fall on her face. She wondered if Clarke had ever done anything embarrassing. Everyone has, right? Well, all _humans_ had experienced embarrassing moments. The hardly included Clarke Griffin. 

“Do you recognize anything unusual about the scene?” Clarke asked. 

This was clearly a test. Lexa had not been involved in too many murder scenes as a consulting officer. Clarke would undoubtedly not take that as excuse if Lexa failed. Thankfully, Lexa already knew the answer. 

“The yarn,” Lexa said. 

Clarke raised an eyebrow at her. She did that a lot. She expected people to read her mind. 

“Around her finger,” Lexa said. “It’s tied in a bow. That’s why you’re here.” 

The look on Clarke’s face was her prize. She seemed surprised that a ‘lowly beat cop’ had noticed the small detail. The expression did not last long, but it was enough. Lexa was proud of herself. 

“It’s the same guy,” Clarke said to her partner. 

The woman nodded and wrote something in the tiny notebook she carried. “We never released that the bow was made of yarn,” the woman said. 

“And who are you?” Lexa asked after a moment. It felt like a dramatic pause. 

Clarke and the woman both turned to stare at Lexa as if she had two heads. Lexa looked over at Lincoln, in question, but he was suddenly very interested in something the other cops were doing outside. Lexa had not said anything weird or rude. She just wanted to know who the federal agent was taking her co-workers' jobs. 

“Special Agent Raven Reyes,” the woman replied. 

Raven Reyes did not offer a hand to shake. Lexa was beginning to think that Washington D.C. created robots to do this job. There was no other explanation. Every federal agent Lexa had worked with had been annoying in one way or another. All of them were overly confident for reasons Lexa was unsure of. She doubted they solved more crimes than police forces did. Federal agents received more recognition for solving dangerous and high-profile cases than cops did. Cops were the people solving day-to-day crimes. Those crimes were just as important, if not more, in Lexa’s opinion. 

“I’m Agent Griffin’s partner,” Raven Reyes said. 

“Well, I’m Lexa Woods and this is my partner, Lincoln Greene,” she said. 

“I know who you are,” Raven replied, carelessly. 

Lexa looked toward Clarke, but the blonde was walking around the counter. She had, most likely, not heard her partner’s words. Lexa wondered how Raven already knew her as Clarke squatted down beside the body once more. She used a pen to move a strand of the woman’s hair. 

“Diamond earrings,” Clarke said. “Someone bought these for her. Husband, boyfriend, sugar daddy. Someone with money. They're from Tiffany’s and they’re new. Get someone on that, Woods.” 

With a very loud sigh, Lexa walked outside. She was glad to have a break from the two women but did not appreciate being bossed around. Lexa pushed her personal feelings about Clarke Griffin, Raven Reyes, and all the other feds away to focus on the victim. She deserved justice and Lexa Woods was determined to give it to her. 

* * *

It was dark outside when the block was finally reopened. The scene had to be fully processed before they could move the body. By now, the victim was at the morgue. Her autopsy was scheduled for the morning. Lexa planned to stop by the morgue and personally get a copy of the report as soon as it was available. She was sure Clarke would somehow get a copy before her. Federal agents were sneaky that way. They were also more persuasive from their credentials alone. 

The cops on scene were beginning to leave and the forensics team were packing up their tools. Clarke Griffin and Raven Reyes were the only federal agents left at the scene. Despite Lexa’s issues with the blonde agent, Clarke was dedicated to her job. They had kept their distance from each other for the past few hours, but Lexa needed to go back to the station now. 

“Did you find the boyfriend?” Clarke asked. 

“Not yet,” Lexa said. “Lincoln is questioning her roommate at the station right now.” 

“Great,” she said. “I’ll follow you there. I have some questions I need to ask.” 

Most of the news crews were gone but a few lingered. Lexa was not particularly fond of being interviewed. Thankfully, it was too early to release details. Some journalists had already questioned the cops earlier. Kane did most of the public interviews for TV. He was good at them. 

“Why did you request my help on this case?” Lexa asked, glancing over at the blonde as they walked toward their respective cars. 

“You’re the only cop I know in this town and I would rather not work with someone too incompetent,” Clarke said.

Lexa’s cheeks flushed red with anger. She hated Clarke’s backhanded compliments. “You know, you could just say that you think I’m a good cop,” she said. 

“Are you suddenly desperate for approval, Woods?” Clarke asked. “Like I said, you’re the only cop I know around here.” 

The sound of Clarke’s heels on the concrete gave Lexa a headache. Clarke was the only person Lexa knew who could wear high heels for twelve hours straight and not limp at all. Lexa was sure her feet would have fallen off a long time ago if she tried it. 

Lexa climbed into the squad car without saying anything else. Lincoln had been given a ride back to the station by another officer on the scene. They had to pick up the victim’s roommate on their way. No one assumed the victim’s roommate was a suspect, but they had to keep an open mind. It was too early in the case to rule anything out. 

Without warning, Lexa remembered what Clarke looked like naked. She remembered tossing the blonde’s heels on the floor as Lexa undressed her. The memories annoyed and aroused her at the same time. Lexa worked hard to pretend it never happened. Clarke obviously did the same. It was easier that way. 

Their relationship had been brief and purely physical. Lexa would not even call it a relationship. They only hooked up twice before Clarke had gone back to Washington. Lexa had almost been happy to see her go. The blonde was mean, intimidating, annoying, gorgeous... Lexa could not think about Clarke Griffin that way though. This case would probably last longer than the last one did and hooking up again was not an option. 

Lexa parked right in front of the station since most of the other cars were gone. Most of her coworkers had families and left the moment they could. Lexa remembered plenty of times when she would come to the police station with her dad while he did paperwork or some other duty. She had enjoyed seeing him work and just being at the police station with him. Her father was still her best friend. That reminded Lexa of their scheduled ‘date’ tomorrow. 

“Did Lincoln tell you anything about the roommate?” Clarke asked as they walked up the stairs. 

Lexa pulled open the door for Clarke to walk through. “Not much,” she said. “Her roommate is a guy though. That surprised me a little bit.” 

As they peered through the two-way glass, Lexa saw that the roommate was a very flamboyant gay man. She ruled him out immediately. He still seemed shock that his best friend was dead. He was crying as he tried to answer Lincoln’s questions. The man had to carefully wipe the tears away from his fake eyelashes with a tissue. Lexa had never worn fake eyelashes. She imagined them to be very annoying. 

“You can go home if you want,” Clarke said. “He seems to be wrapping things up. Will you be in tomorrow?” 

“I’ll be back at noon,” Lexa said. 

“Great,” she said. 

There was no emotion in her voice or on her face when Lexa looked over. She wondered if Clarke thought about the two nights they spent together. Perhaps she did not think about it at all. It would be easier if Lexa could completely forget. She refused to let that get in the way of their working relationship. The two of them would be spending a lot of time together. Lexa preferred not to let anything get in the way of their duty. 

When Lexa returned to her apartment that night, she was exhausted but somehow not sleepy. Her body yearned for sleep, but her mind would not stop racing. Lexa ran through every detail from the scene earlier. She also revisited her interactions with Clarke. All it did was remind her of the first time they had sex. 

* * *

_Three years earlier..._

_Lexa was still fuming as she grabbed her things off her desk to leave. Clarke Griffin might possibility be the most annoying person in the entire world._ _Of course,_ _the chief would take Clarke’s side over Lexa’s. On top of the stress of her normal responsibilities, now Lexa had to deal with stupid federal agents trying to take over her case._

_After ten minutes of fruitless searching for her notes, Lexa found Clarke in one of the conference rooms. Kane had given her and her partner the room to work in while they were in town. Lexa's note pages were spread across the table. Clarke had her back to Lexa as she wrote on the whiteboard._

_“What do you need, Woods?” Clarke asked without looking back._

_Lexa had no idea how Clarke knew it was_ _her,_ _but she was too angry to care. “You stole my notes,” she said._

_“I looked through everyone’s,” Clarke said. “Yours were the only ones I could halfway understand. I'm honestly not sure how anyone in this department solves anything.”_

_“You know what? I’m sick of your shit,” Lexa said. She began gathering the pages she had written on._

_Clarke grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from the table. She took the_ _note pages_ _from Lexa's hand once more. Lexa reached for_ _them,_ _but Clarke somehow kept her away. How could someone so small be so strong?_

_“I’m keeping these,” Clarke said._

_Clarke turned so her back was to Lexa once more and she used her ass to keep the woman away. Not only was Clarke Griffin stronger than she looked, she was quick. Even in heels, Clarke could beat her. The fact annoyed Lexa to her core._

_But when Clarke turned back to face Lexa, she was smirking. Lexa could not explain how she felt in that_ _moment,_ _but anger was one of the emotions. Her arousal dominated as they kissed. She had no idea who kissed the other first, but it did not matter. They were desperately grabbing each other. Lexa just needed her closer._

_Clarke’s suit pants were still on as Lexa’s hand found_ _its_ _way down the front of them. Clarke moaned into her mouth. The sound drove Lexa crazy. All Clarke’s little sounds affected Lexa in that conference room. As she laid the blonde back on the table, surrounded by all her notes and papers, Lexa forgot where they were. All she knew was that Clarke wanted her in this moment, despite her attitude toward Lexa every other moment of the day, and Lexa was determined to show her that Lexa was more than capable of pleasing her._

_By the time they were done, Lexa had memorized what her name sounded like coming from Clarke’s mouth as she came._


	2. Chapter 2

Lexa woke early the next morning. She cooked a big breakfast and loaded two plates with food. While it was still hot, she carried the plate into her father’s bedroom. James Woods was awake and already watching the news. He muted the TV when she entered.

“There’s my favorite girl,” James said with a smile.

“Good morning, daddy,” she said. “Here’s your breakfast. I made grandma’s potato cakes.”

“You spoil me, Lexa,” he said.

Lexa was thankful that today was a good day for her father. Since being diagnosed with dementia, Lexa had no idea which version of her father she was going to get in the morning. So far, he had more good days than bad. 

When he was diagnosed, Lexa had a very hard time with it. She had taken a week off work and was determined to learn all she could about the illness. All she found out was that dementia only got worse. Lexa wanted to appreciate every day she had left with him while he still knew her. James had fought her for a few weeks when she asked him to move into her house. Lexa wanted him to be close in case anything was to  happen, but James still wanted his  independence . Lexa argued that she worked so much that it would leave plenty of time for him to be alone even if they lived together.

“I got recruited for a murder case last night,” Lexa said. She blew on her steaming food before taking a bite. “By a fed.”

“A federal agent specifically asked for you?” he asked. “That’s great, Lexa. You are the best cop they have, but Kane is a bit blind.”

“Well, you know this special agent,” Lexa said. “Do you remember Clarke Griffin?”

James thought about it for a moment and began to look upset that he could not remember. This happened sometimes. The dementia happened a year after meeting Clarke. The doctor explained that he would remember concrete memories more easily like things from his childhood. More recent memories were less likely to last in the longterm.

“She isn’t worth remembering anyway,” Lexa said. “Anyway, she needed help with some cold case files three years ago. It's a long story.”

James settled back against his bed pillows. “I have the time if you do,” he said.

There was plenty of time before Lexa was due at the station. She laid her plate on the arm of the recliner her father had brought with him his house. Lexa remembered the day she met Clarke Griffin very clearly.

* * *

_ Three years earlier... _

_ “Welcome to district twelve,” Anya said.  _

_ The two of them were driving through their newly assigned district. Anya’s old partner moved to another city, so Lexa was her new one for the time being. She liked Anya. When she was not talking about their new beat, she was talking about her brother,  _ _ Lincoln _ _ , joining the precinct. Apparently, there were a lot of changes happening in Anya’s life right now.  _

_ “I imagine we’ll never be bored,” Lexa said, looking down a  _ _ particularly _ _ dark alley.  _

_ “A blessing and a curse,” she replied.  _

_ The office was empty when they got back to the station that  _ _ night, _ _ but Kane emerged from his office. He looked exhausted and defeated.  _

_ “Woods, Greene, since you two are the only ones here...” he started. “I have someone who needs your assistance.” _

_ Lexa looked over at her partner. She rolled his eyes. They would rather help someone who needed them because they were good cops. But that was hard to come by in the police world. Instead, Lexa and Anya were being recruited because they were available.  _

_ “Who needs us?” Lexa asked. _

_ “She’s in the conference room,” Kane replied, sighing. He barely had the energy to point. “It’s a fed.” _

_ Lexa had never experienced working with a federal agent. Her father had mentioned working cases with feds a handful of times. She had not even met an agent before today and now there was one who needed her  _ _ help? _ _ Lexa, self- _ _ consciously _ _ , tucked her shirt in. She took the clip out of her gun and put both parts in her desk drawer.  _

_ Anya knocked on the door before opening it. The table was covered in folders and papers. But Lexa’s eyes were on the beautiful blonde woman dressed in a very feminine and  _ _ professional _ _ suit. Most women in suits wore skirts but not this one. It looked like the woman had this suit made specifically for her body. _

_ The agent glanced up at them and pushed her glasses to the top of her head. They held back her blonde hair now. “Great, you’re here,” the woman said, barely looking at them. “I need some case files. Could the two of you go down to storage and grab these boxes for me?” _

_ Lexa took the slip of paper from her hand with last names on them. This woman did not even know their  _ _ names and _ _ she was already bossing them around. When Lexa looked back, Kane’s office light was  _ _ off, _ _ and he was gone for the night. Lexa respected her chief but right now she was mad at him. _

_ It took twenty minutes for Lexa to find her designated boxes. They were not heavy but annoying to carry up five flights of stairs. It was no wonder the federal agent had not wanted to get the boxes herself.  _

_ “Here’s the boxes you asked for,” Lexa said, motioning toward the stacks by the door.  _

_ “Did you also grab the evidence boxes?” she asked.  _

_ It was clear that neither officer had grabbed the evidence boxes too with the  _ _ number _ _ of boxes on the floor. The agent had also spoken in a condescending way that Lexa did not appreciate. She pushed her glasses back up and looked at the two of them. She stared for a moment. Lexa must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights because her mind was suddenly blank.  _

_ “I’ll just do it myself,” the woman said, annoyed.  _

_ Lexa moved out of her way as she stepped past her and out the door. Lexa looked around for Anya only to find her gone. Anya’s desk was also cleaned up for the day. Lexa was going to kill her new partner when she saw her tomorrow. _

_ “No,” Lexa said, quickly. “You stay up here and I'll go get them.” _

_ The blonde stopped and turned back around. “Great,” she said.  _

_ “I’m... my name is Lexa Woods, by the way,” she said. “Officer Lexa Woods.” _

_ “Special Agent Clarke Griffin,” she replied. “Thanks for getting the boxes.” _

_ It was the first time Clarke Griffin seemed even the slightest bit thankful for Lexa’s help. (It would also be the last time Clarke appeared grateful.)  _

_ “I don’t mind at all,” Lexa lied.  _

_ Lexa went back down the five flights and located all the boxes Clarke needed. It would  _ _ require _ _ more than one trip. She texted her father that she was going to be late for their dinner. He understood completely. Lexa knew he would be excited to know that she was helping a fed on a case. Lexa doubted that packing boxes up and down stairs was something that would help her career in the long run.  _

_ Lexa laid the last of the boxes by Clarke’s feet since there was barely any empty space left on the floor of the conference room. Clarke was putting the boxes on the table one-by-one to look through them. _

_ “You can go,” Clarke said without looking up from her work. _

_ “Don’t you want my help going through all of this stuff?” she asked. _

_ “No,” Clarke said. “I don’t trust you to do it right.” _

_ It felt like a slap to the face. The world was dark outside the windows now and Lexa could have easily left then. “What’s your system?” Lexa asked. _

_ Clarke looked up at her and she seemed annoyed. She sighed very loudly. “I need everything you have on the  _ _ Holmstead _ _ case,” Clarke said. “It seems someone in your department was very careless when they packed up these boxes. Half the shit in here has nothing to do with the Holmstead murder case.” _

_ “Holmstead case,” Lexa said. “Got it. Is that case why you’re here?” _

_ “Yes,” she replied. “I believe that Janet Holmstead was the first victim of a suspect we have arrested. I’m comparing his description of the night to the case files.” _

_ “Holmstead was murdered in the eighties,” Lexa said. “How many victims are there?” _

_ “We’ve confirmed five women so far,” Clarke said. “He’s claimed ten.” _

_ “There’s someone I could ask about this case,” Lexa said. “My dad retired from this precinct. He might know something.” _

_ “I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied.  _

_ From her tone, Lexa doubted she heard her at all. She was getting more and more annoyed with Clarke Griffin as the time went on. Lexa felt like it was a great idea to ask someone about the case who  _ _ worked _ _ here at the time, but it seemed like Clarke did not care.  _

_ Lexa stayed until midnight. When Clarke began to pack up her notes from the surrounding papers, Lexa went back to her desk. She checked her email before grabbing her gun from the drawer and putting it back together. Once it was back in the holster on her utility belt, Clarke emerged from the conference room with a small box. There was now a holstered gun on her waist too. Lexa wondered where it had been when they were working together for the past four hours.  _

_ “Let me carry that for you,” Lexa said, taking the box. “I’ll walk you to your car.” _

_ “You don’t trust the people in your own neighborhood?” she asked.  _

_ Lexa pushed the door open with her back. “I love the people in this town,” she said. “But they’ve been known to take revenge on cops in one way or another. Anyway, you work in Washington. I’m sure that’s much more interesting.” _

_ “I’m hardly ever there,” Clarke said.  _

_ Lexa gave up on trying to make conversation after that. She followed Clarke to an SUV in the middle of the parking lot and slid the box into the backseat. Clarke was already in the driver’s seat with the door open. _

_ “You have a hotel room, I’m assuming,” Lexa said. _

_ “Yes,” she said.  _

_ “Oh, good,” Lexa said. “I was going to offer you my guest room if you didn’t.” _

_ “Well,  _ _ thank _ _ god it did not come to that,” Clarke said before closing the door and driving off.  _

_ Lexa was angry as she drove home. She had only tried to be nice to Clarke the entire night and it had been thrown back in her face. Lexa had had other plans that night but blew her father off to help. Instead of being grateful for Lexa’s help, Clarke had acted as though it was a nuisance. Lexa regretted helping her at all.  _

* * *

“Anyway, she kept coming back into the station for a week,” Lexa said. “Kane basically assigned me as her assistant for the next two weeks.”

“Most feds think they’re so much more important than us cops,” James said. “Did she get any better?”

Lexa sighed and shook her head. “No,” she replied. Lexa briefly thought about the angry sex they had in that conference room a few days later. “She got worse.”

“Tell me about it,” he said. “I would like to know how I helped.”

“I’ll tell you about it tonight, okay?” Lex asked. “She’s expecting me to be there at noon. I’m not letting her keep me there all night either.”

James laughed. “You might need this fed’s help one day,” he said.

“Clarke wouldn’t help me,” she said. Lexa grabbed his empty plate and stacked it on top of her own. She leaned down to hug her dad. “Love you. I’ll see you tonight.”

“I love you too, Lex,” he said. “Be careful.”

Lexa heard the sincerity of his words. When Lexa graduated from the academy, James had a really hard time. He was her chief for the first two years she worked as a cop. As embarrassing as it was for her father to be her boss, it was even worse that he hated letting her out of his sight. It had bothered Lexa at the time. But she missed him at the station every day now. She would give anything to go back to the days when he was healthy. 

Anya and Lincoln were talking near Lexa’s desk when she arrived at the police station. She heard the words ‘Octavia’ and ‘dinner ’, so she assumed they were making plans. The two of them made her wish she had a sibling. 

“Thank god you’re here,” Anya said. She looked towards the conference room that Clarke had apparently claimed as her own again. “She’s been asking for you all morning.”

Lexa sighed as she stared at the slightly opened door. “Don’t worry about her,” she said. “I’ll handle it. Sorry, Linc, but I won’t be able to ride with you today.”

“I’ll ask Kane if I can go with him,” Anya said. 

Lexa nodded and started toward the conference room. Her uniform felt tighter than normal. Lexa pulled her hair up in a ponytail as she weaved through the desks. Sometimes, she debated cutting  her hair. Something always changed her mind. She liked having it long, but it was a nuisance with her job. 

The second her eyes landed on Clarke, Lexa remembered the blonde pulling the elastic from her hair when they had sex in her bed the second and last time. 

“I hear you’ve been asking for me,” Lexa said. “I told you last night that I wouldn’t be here until noon.”

“Yes, I remembered that,” she said. “But I figured you wanted to catch this murderer before he killed another teenager.”

Lexa groaned as she sat down in one of the chairs. Clarke had a way of making her feel guilty for things she could not control.

“Tell me about the bows on their fingers,” Lexa said. “Why does he do that? Do you know?”

“We aren’t completely sure,” she said. “A string around your finger normally symbolizes remembering something. It could mean a promise to do something, too.”

“Do you think the murderer is using the yarn to say something or do you think it’s just a signature?” Lexa asked. 

“It’s his signature, but I think it also means something,” Clarke replied. “He has to have a reason to choose these girls.”

“Secrets, lies,” Lexa whispered as she flicked through the pictures of the other victims. “ Remembering something... What do they all have in common?”

“If I knew that then I would have already told you,” Clarke said in her frustrated tone. 

Lexa was annoyed at herself for understanding Clarke’s tones. She was sure that Clarke could not answer a single question about her. It was obvious that Clarke was unaware of how annoying she was to Lexa. She was not even trying to hide her annoyance with Clarke at this point.

“I’ll dig up whatever I can on the victim,” Lexa said, standing.

“Bring your laptop in here,” Clarke said. “I may need your help with something.”

“I don’t have a laptop,” she said. “I have a crappy desktop computer at my desk. It’s right out there. Call for me and I’m here.”

“No,” Clarke said.

Clarke reached into the bag laying on the ground under the window and pulled a laptop from it. She laid it on the table. The one saving grace Lexa had for getting out of this room was now gone. Lexa sighed as she opened it. 

* * *

“It’s almost seven,” Lexa said that night. “I promised my dad I would be home before he went to sleep.”

“This whole day has been a complete waste of time,” Clarke said. 

Lexa heard the tension in her voice. If she did not know any better, Lexa would guess that Clarke was close to tears. There was not much they had learned even after  scouring every piece of evidence and tiny detail from the scene. Clarke had said  multiple times that there had to be some connection between the victims. Lexa agreed with that but had yet to find one. 

Lincoln and Anya stepped into the room and knocked. “We’re out for the day,” Lincoln said. He glanced at Clarke who was staring at the whiteboard covered in her own handwriting. 

“I’ll be done in a few minutes,” Lexa said. “See you tomorrow. We’re going to the  vic’s parents’ house first thing in the morning.”

“See you then,” he replied.

Once they were gone, Lexa stood. Her body ached from sitting in the chair for too long. She thought about her dad waiting up for her and wanted to go home. But he would be upset with her for putting him over a murder victim. 

“Are you hungry?” Lexa asked.

“What?” Clarke asked. She was still searching the whiteboard for something and Lexa doubted she knew what it was. 

“I asked if you were hungry,” she said. “You haven’t eaten all day.”

“Every victim is an only child,” Clarke said. She wrote it on the board. “Parents are married. They’re all  middle-class families. That's the connection. It's something about the families.”

“It’ll be hard to warn all middle-class families with one daughter that they’re in danger,” Lexa said.

“You think, Lexa?” Clarke asked, glaring at her over her shoulder. ‘If you’re not saying something helpful, then don’t say anything.”

“I’m going home,” she said.

Lexa should be used to this kind of treatment by now, but it still surprised her how up and down Clarke’s moods could be. One minute she was conferring with Lexa  amicably and the next she was rolling her eyes or being sarcastic. It was confusing. This must be what whiplash felt like. 

“I’m going with you to talk to the parents,” Clarke said. “In the morning, I mean.”

“Fine,” she said. “Please tell me that you’re going to leave, too.”

“In a little bit,” Clarke said, waving her off. “Go home.”

“Alright,” Lexa said. “I’ll see you in the morning. Please don’t shout my name. It won’t make me arrive any faster.”

“Will it bother the other cops? Did I distract them from doing nothing?” she asked.

“Just for that, I’m not bringing you coffee in the morning,” Lexa said as she shut her computer down for the day. Not that she got the chance to use it at all. Lexa was a week behind on paperwork at this point.

“I like vanilla lattes,” Clarke called just as Lexa pushed open the door. 

Lexa groaned in annoyance but memorized it. Clarke was surely trying to drive her crazy.


	3. Chapter 3

James was still awake when Lexa got home. She could see the light from his TV in the upstairs window as she approached her house. Lexa was happy she had not made him stay up too late. The first thing she did was go upstairs to check on him. 

“Did you eat?” Lexa asked. 

“Yes, I made myself a sandwich,” he replied. “Don’t worry about me. You go ahead and get ready for bed.” 

“I’m not tired,” she said. “I have some things to look through for work and I still have to eat dinner.” 

“Let me make you something,” James said, already getting up from his chair. “You get changed into comfortable clothes and I’ll make you a sandwich, too.” 

“Thanks, daddy,” she said. 

Lexa stripped off her uniform and sat on her bed heavily. She was exhausted, mentally and physically. Being around Clarke so much drained her of energy. Just keeping up a mental guard against her sarcastic comments would exhaust anyone. If it was not for the victim, Lexa would avoid Clarke at all costs. 

There was more to their interactions than work. Both were aware of the past they shared, but it was an unspoken rule to not speak of it. Lexa could even forget about it sometimes. But then Clarke would look at her a certain way or say something annoying and Lexa would remember everything from both of their sexual encounters. 

Clarke never spoke of anything personal. Lexa knew nothing about her life in Washington D.C. It was possible that Clarke had a spouse waiting for her there. Lexa hoped she did not, but she would have no way of knowing. Lexa knew for sure that Clarke had wanted her three years ago. Lexa was almost positive that Clarke had leaned in to kiss Lexa first. 

Lexa changed into a pair of sweatpants and an old academy shirt. Her dad already had her plate on the kitchen table by the time she got downstairs. He had a steaming mug of decaf coffee between his hands as he sat across the table from her. 

“What happened today?” James asked. 

“We didn’t make much headway, but we have a theory that the victims are connected by their socioeconomic status,” she said. “And the fact that they didn’t have siblings.” 

“That’s a good connection,” he said. “Murderers’ have odd ways of looking at things. That is important to him for some reason. He's most likely an only child, too.” 

“You’re probably right,” Lexa said. “Or he comes from a big family and is jealous of the attention they got from their parents.” 

“That’s a good thought,” he said. “Would you want to move up to homicide eventually?” 

Lexa shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m happy where I am for now. Maybe one day if I... have a family or something, I might consider it.” 

“You’ll have your own family someday, Lexa,” he said. “You love kids.” 

Lexa chuckled. “That doesn’t mean that someone is going to want to have them with me,” she said. 

“Well, you can always adopt,” he said. James’ eyes softened as he looked at his daughter. “Look how well it worked out for us.” 

Lexa grinned. “I’m very lucky,” she agreed. 

“Peanut, your mother and I are the lucky ones,” he said. “You completed our family. Your mom was so proud to have you as a daughter. She knew how special you are the second she laid eyes on you.” 

Lexa had heard the story so many times. Her birth mother had apparently left her on the steps of an orphanage the day she was born. James and Hannah Woods had gone there in hopes of connecting with a baby. Instead, they connected with two-year-old Lexa. As her mother used to love saying, Lexa followed them around the nursery until they paid attention to her. Even though Hannah had wanted to adopt a newborn, they ended up adopting Lexa just a few days later. Apparently, her would-be parents could not stop thinking about her after going home. 

Hannah Woods died when Lexa was fifteen. Even though Lexa knew it was coming, the pain from losing her mom was unbearable. Her mom had been sick for a while. Lexa dropped out of high school to stay home with her. James did his best to homeschool his daughter on top of caring for his wife and working full time. Once Hannah passed away, Lexa had no trouble catching up on the two years of normal schooling she missed. She graduated a year later than the other kids her age with zero regrets. 

“Anyway, you promised to tell me the rest of the story,” James said. 

“I did promise to do that,” she said. “So, I helped her sort through the rest of the boxes for the next few days.” 

* * *

_Three years earlier..._

_“Here’s your salad,” Lexa said, laying the plastic covered bowl in front of Clarke on the conference room table. “No cheese, no_ _croutons_ _, no dressing, no taste.”_

_“Keep the attitude to yourself,” Clarke said, pointing a dry erase marker at her._

_Lexa’s cheeks flushed as Clarke, thankfully, turned back to face the whiteboard. Lexa thought about the way Clarke had looked sprawled on this exact table the evening before. Her body reacted to the image without her consent. Lexa had no realistic hope that they would create some lasting relationship, but she did hope they could have sex again. It had been too long since Lexa had been with anyone. As much as it pained Lexa to admit, Clarke was damn good at it._

_“You said something about your dad,” Clarke said. “Would he be willing to answer some questions?”_

_“Yes,” she replied._

_“Great,” Clarke said. “I would love to talk to him before I leave tomorrow.”_

_“Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” Lexa asked. “I’ll invite my dad over and we can eat as you talk.”_

_“Fine,” Clarke said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not sure how that’s easier than asking him to come here.”_

_“It isn’t,” she said. “But I’m hungry and my dad loves my cooking. Plus, I don’t think I’ve seen you properly eat anything this entire trip.”_

_Clarke groaned. “Would you stop worrying about me eating all the time?” she asked. “I eat plenty. By the amount of time you spend talking about food, I’m surprised your so skinny.”_

_“Hey, I work out every day if you must know,” Lexa said. “I would rather eat good food and work out than eat... whatever you do. Like that lettuce you have there.”_

_Clarke looked back and rolled her eyes. “You’re a fucking pain in the ass, Woods,” she said. “Get back to work so we can leave at a decent time tonight.”_

_James was waiting for them in Lexa’s driveway when they arrived that evening. Lexa had somehow convinced Clarke to stay the night in her guest room. Of course, Lexa had had to stop at the hotel so Clarke could pack her things. She chose to stay in the car out of fear that she would make a move on Clarke in the private hotel room._

_They both knew what was going to happen that night. It made the drive to Lexa’s house more exciting. Lexa tried not to be weird about it._

_Clarke stepped out of her squad car and looked around at the thick blanket of trees surrounding them. “This is a house from a_ _horror_ _movie,” Clarke said._

_“You’re suddenly scared?” Lexa asked._

_Clarke_ _laughed_ _. “No,” she said. “I’m just observing. You make odd choices, Woods.”_

_“Sorry you’re upset by the location of my home,” Lexa said. “But I like it. And I got it cheap.”_

_“You seem surprised that no one else wanted to live here,” Clarke said._

_Lexa rolled her eyes as she unlocked her front door. At least the inside of her house was nice. Lexa had bought the house for a good price, so she spent the rest fixing it up. Even though she did not spend a lot of time at home, Lexa took pride in her home. The work had all been done herself, including painting all the walls and installing new kitchen cabinets. Lexa learned a lot from ‘how to’ YouTube videos._

_“Can you eat pasta? Your body isn’t going to implode or something, right?” Lexa asked._

_She was already pulling things down from cabinets and grabbing ingredients from the_ _refrigerator_ _. Clarke was obviously very uncomfortable in Lexa’s home. Lexa doubted she slept anywhere other_ _than_ _hotel rooms and wherever it was that Clarke lived in Washington._

_“I don’t appreciate your tone,” Clarke said. She was serious, too._

_Someone knocked on the door and pushed open the door. James stood in the foyer as he slipped off his dirty shoes. “Don’t shoot me, Lex,” he joked._

_Lexa smiled as she filled a pot with water. “Dad, we’re in the kitchen,” she said._

_The two of them were still in their work clothes. Lexa was in her police uniform and Clarke in her suit. Lexa was beginning to really appreciate Clarke’s expensive, perfectly tailored suits. But their time together was coming to an end. Clarke would be flying out of town tomorrow morning. Lexa would, most likely, never see this woman again. And Lexa was okay with that. Clarke annoyed her every single second they spent together._

_“Have a seat, dad,” Lexa said. “I’m making your favorite. Agent Griffin just has a few_ _questions_ _for you.”_

_“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” Clarke said, taking the seat across from him._

_“Oh, I’m happy to help,” he replied. “Lexa said you’re looking into the Holmstead case. Janet Holmstead. I remember that one very clearly. Drove us all crazy._ _Actually, I’m_ _sure that case had something to do with Will’s heart attack.”_

_“The homicide chief?” Clarke asked._

_“He was at the time, yes,” he said. “There was so much pressure from the public to find her killer. Everyone thought it was someone who lived in town. They were blaming their neighbors and family members. I can’t even tell you the_ _number_ _of tips we received of people claiming they knew who killed her. Will was a good guy. A good cop. He didn’t deserve the ridicule he got once her case went cold.”_

_“Well, I believe we’ve arrested her murderer if that gives you any kind of closure,” Clarke said._

_“It does,” he said. “I only wish it happened sooner. Will would have been so happy to hear that.”_

_Lexa served dinner as the two talked about the case. They continued throughout the meal and Lexa got to witness just how passionate about her job Clarke truly was. Clarke seemed to love her job just as Lexa loved her own._

_“How did you become a federal agent?” James asked. “Were you a cop first?”_

_“I was never a cop as Lexa or you are,” Clarke said. “I’m actually a part of the behavioral analysis unit at Quantico. I_ _specialize_ _in serial killers.”_

_This was news to Lexa. In fact, she had not thought much about the kind of agent Clarke Griffin was. She had not even looked at her badge all this time. This was the most Lexa had heard Clarke talk about herself. Before tonight, Lexa had been met with a snippy response when she asked Clarke anything._

_“How long have you been doing that?” Lexa asked._

_“Long enough,” Clarke said._

_It seemed that only her father could ask Clarke personal questions. Lexa quickly got over it. Knowing too much about Clarke might make Lexa care and that would be bad. Lexa thought about Clarke would do_ _if she asked her on a date. Lexa was likely to end up with a black eye._

_After her dad left, Lexa led Clarke up the stairs and to the guest room. “Towels are in the bathroom, blankets are in the closet and everything,” Lexa said. “I’ve never really had a proper guest, so I’m not sure what you’ll need.”_

_“This is fine,” she said._

_Clarke stepped into the guest room and closed the door. Lexa took her time showering. By the time she slid under the covers, Lexa was exhausted. Lexa was not surprised when her bedroom door opened. It was dark, so Lexa could not see Clarke that well. Instead, Lexa heard her. She heard the tapping of Clarke’s ever-present high heels._

_Lexa took her time undressing Clarke that night. When she woke up in the morning and found the blonde woman gone, Lexa ignored the feeling in her chest._

* * *

The two coffee cups burned Lexa’s hand as she carried them into the police station. When she ordered Clarke’s vanilla latte, the barista had been surprised. Niylah was used to Lexa’s simple order. Clarke took the coffee without a word. 

Lexa sat at her desk, for what felt like the first time all week, and logged into her computer. Her dad had been happy to hear that he had helped Clarke years ago. She had not told him that they slept together, obviously, but thinking about had stirred those feelings back up. Lexa had dreamed all night about Clarke. It was frustrating. 

“I’m leaving to talk to the victim’s family,” Clarke said. “I would like to get there before the sun goes down.” 

Lexa did not have feelings for Clarke Griffin. The version of Clarke that Lexa had created in her mind was the person she dreamed about. In all her dreams, Clarke was nice to Lexa and that was simply impossible. 

“Coming,” Lincoln said. 

Lexa stood, holstered her gun, and followed the two of them toward the car. They rode in Clarke’s SUV this time. 

“Why didn’t you fly this time?” Lexa asked. 

“I needed the car and I have other places to go after this,” Clarke replied. 

“Like where?” Lincoln asked. 

Clarke completely ignored his question. Lexa wondered if she could say even if she wanted to. There had to be some rule against giving away Clarke’s location. Lexa was sure there were plenty of people who probably wanted Clarke dead. The thought gave her chills. All those murderers Clarke had helped lock away in prison... they probably thought about harming Clarke in revenge. 

But the danger came along with their jobs. There were people who wanted to hurt Lexa. In fact, some had tried. A few had found her address and broken into her house. Thankfully, Lexa was careful. She had grown up in the police world. The same things happened to her father when she was younger. 

Lexa sat down across from the parents of their victim. The mother was very distraught. It was understandable. Lexa had no idea what her own mom would do if something like this had happened to her. That made her heart ache. 

“We are so very sorry for your loss,” Clarke said in a surprisingly gentle tone. “I’m Special Agent Griffin. That's Officers Woods and Greene. We just have a few questions for you.” 

Lexa took diligent notes as the interview went on. She was so focused that she did not process what the parents said until she was writing the words. 

“She was adopted?” Lexa asked. 

“Yes,” the father replied. “We always wanted to tell her... but the timing never felt right.” 

“She didn’t know?” Lexa asked. 

“No,” he said, sniffling. He wiped his eyes and cheeks with a tissue. 

Lexa thought about that as they rode back to the station. “I wonder if the other victims were adopted,” she said. 

“I haven’t found anything like that,” Clarke said. 

“Maybe the other parents hadn’t told their daughters yet either,” she said. “That could be the connection.” 

“I’ll look into it,” Clarke said. She pressed a few buttons on her phone and put it to her ear. “Reyes, I need you to look something up for me. The victims. I want you to find all their birth certificates. Find out if they were adopted. It would be closed adoptions, so you might have to go to the courthouses directly.” 

Clarke hung up. Lexa hoped that she was right. It would be nice for Clarke to see that she was not useless. Why did Lexa even care what Clarke thought? 

Once they were alone in the conference room once more, Lexa looked through the pictures of the yarn tied to the victims’ fingers. They were almost identical. The murderer had taken his time doing it despite the chaos and time that it would have taken. 

“You know that I’m right, Clarke,” Lexa said. “That’s why he does all of this. The parents were supposed to tell them but never did. That’s what these bows mean. Maybe he wants them to remember their lives before they were adopted.” 

“Perhaps,” Clarke said, tapping the pen against her bottom lip. 

“I’ll bet the murderer was adopted, too,” she said. 

“Lexa, I’m trying to think here!” Clarke said. She put her hands on her hips and sighed. She rubbed her eyes. “Sorry. I was thinking that, too. It’s impossible to pull all the adoption records though to find him.” 

“I know,” she said. “Why did he strike here?” 

“I’m not sure,” Clarke said. “I need to head back to Washington though. I have better access to records there. Plus, I’ve done all that I can do here.” 

“Are you leaving tonight?” Lexa asked. 

“Probably,” she said. Clarke began to pack up her things. She threw all her notes and other papers into a box. 

Kane stepped into the room. “You packing up to leave?” he asked. 

“Yes, sir,” Clarke replied. “I have some things I need to do back there.” 

“I hope you’ll let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” Kane said. 

“Can I speak with you alone?” Clarke asked him. 

“Of course,” Kane replied. “Follow me to my office. We can talk there.” 

Lexa continued packing Clarke’s things while she was gone. Of course, Lexa did not want the blonde to leave but it was so much easier to not think about her when Clarke was gone. Seeing her every day was confusing Lexa. 

“Woods,” Kane said. “Come in here.” 

Lexa ignored the looks she could feel on her back. Kane usually called people to his office when they were in trouble, but she had done nothing wrong. This had something to do with Clarke. What if she had complained about Lexa’s performance? 

Clarke closed the door once Lexa sat. 

“Sir?” Lexa asked. 

“Woods, you’re completely off this case,” Kane said. 

“What?” she asked. “But... I’ve been helping Cl... Agent Griffin this whole time. I know just as much about this as she does.” 

“You heard me,” he said. “Agent Griffin has asked that you be removed.” 

Lexa turned to look back at her. Clarke showed no emotion on her face as she stared back. 

“You have too many personal connections to the victims,” Clarke explained. 

“How?” she asked. 

“Because you were also adopted,” Clarke said. 

Lexa stared at her for a long time. No one had known that before now. Her father had never told any of his coworkers that Lexa was not his biological daughter. Lexa was not sure if James had told anyone that she was adopted. Hannah did not tell people either. When she looked back at Kane, he was looking at her with sadness in his eyes. This is exactly what she and her parents were trying to avoid by not telling people. 

“How did you know that?” Lexa asked her. 

“Because I had an entire background check run on you,” Clarke said. “I have many more resources than you do.” 

It would not be long before everyone in town found out that James was not her real father. It might not seem like a big deal, but the people in this town were so bored that it would become one very quickly. Her father was known by everyone. Hannah had been, too. Her funeral was the largest one ever held at their church. 

“You had no right to do that,” Lexa said, glaring at Clarke. 

“I had every right to know who I was working with,” she said. 

“Did you do this for some jealous reason?” Lexa asked. “Because I figured it out before you did?” 

Clarke laughed softly. “Oh, please,” she said. “As if you figured anything out that I hadn’t known. I wanted to see how you reacted to the victim's adoption.” 

“Fuck you,” Lexa said, feeling her eyes growing heavy. She was angry and embarrassed. 

“Woods!” Kane shouted, stopping their argument in its tracks. “Weapon sorting duty for a week. Go there now!” 

Lexa stood, glared at Clarke once more, before leaving the chief’s office. If everyone was staring at her before, they were really staring now. They had all surely heard Kane’s shout. Weapon sorting duty was the most boring task. Lexa only nodded at Lincoln to let him know she was fine. 

The basement was empty and freezing cold when she got down there. Lexa expected the sounds of someone coming down the stairs to be from her partner or maybe Kane. She was sitting against the wall when she saw Clarke. 

“Go away,” Lexa said, sliding a box toward herself. 

Inside the box were guns the police had taken from criminals. Most of the serial numbers had been removed which meant they needed to melt the gun down to destroy it. This was weapon sorting and it was a good punishment for anyone who pissed Kane off. 

“You can act like a baby all you want,” Clarke said. 

“Are you fucking kidding?” she said. “You’re calling me a baby? No one knew about that before today, Clarke. My parents didn’t want anyone to know.” 

“Lexa, you’re a grown adult,” Clarke said. 

“Exactly,” she said. “You could have told me that you wanted me off the case without going to my boss. He has a huge fucking mouth.” 

“Kane would have needed to be told anyway,” Clarke said. “You wouldn’t have told him.” 

“Whatever, Clarke,” she said. “Just leave me the hell alone. Go back to kissing ass in Washington D.C. and background checking all of your other friends.” 

“We are not friends,” Clarke said. 

“Right,” Lexa said, standing. “Because you’re too cold-hearted to have any friends.” 

“Is that what you really think?” Clarke asked, angrily. She moved closer to Lexa. 

“Yes,” Lexa said. 

Clarke walked closer. This time it was obvious who made the first move. Clarke’s nimble fingers were already unbuttoning Lexa’s uniform as they kissed. Lexa was so angry with Clarke right now, but it was also arousing. Plus, Lexa was certain that she would never be able to push Clarke away when she kissed her. 

They had sex on a dirty table in the basement and it was even better than the last time. Both were more aware of what the other liked. 

“You know, we could have been doing this the entire time,” Lexa said as she buttoned her uniform back up. 

“You’re very hard to anger,” she said. 

“Please don’t tell me that you did all of this so we could have angry sex,” Lexa said. 

“I didn’t but it was a perk,” Clarke said. “I really do have to leave now.” 

“Yeah,” she said. “And I have to sort through all these boxes before the end of the week.” 

It looked as though no one had sorted the weapons for a year. There were at least a hundred full boxes. 

“Look,” Clarke said, sighing. “I... sorry. I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal.” 

“It’s fine,” Lexa said. “My dad doesn’t really go out anymore and I’ll get over it.” 

Clarke finished getting dressed and fixed her hair. Once done, she started for the stairs. Clarke looked back at Lexa, as if she wanted to say something, but continued up the stairs a moment later. 

“Bye, Clarke,” Lexa whispered to herself. 


	4. Chapter 4

Lexa had a hard time sleeping for a few days after Clarke left. It was almost impossible to fall asleep with thoughts of the blonde running through her head. Not all the thoughts were good. In fact, most of them were bad. Clarke had basically used her for help with the case already knowing that she was going to kick Lexa off before she left. Clarke must have known the truth about her parents since the very beginning. 

James was already in the kitchen when Lexa came downstairs that morning. It was exactly one week after Clarke left and she had yet to hear anything from her. Not that Lexa  particularly wanted to hear from Clarke so soon (or maybe at all). 

“Good morning, daddy,” Lexa said, kissing the top of his head as she passed. 

“Morning, peanut,” he said. “Are you almost ready for school?”

Lexa shook her head as she poured his coffee. “No, daddy,” she said. “I don’t go to school anymore. I’m about to leave for work.”

They had so many good days together that Lexa had almost forgotten about her father’s dementia. It could happen at any time of  day, but Lexa noticed it most often in the morning. That was probably because her schedule usually permitted her a few minutes with him every morning, 

James looked down at his own outfit. “I’m going to be late,” he said.

Lexa sighed and laid his plate in front of him. “You’re retired,” Lexa said. “Everything’s okay, dad. After breakfast, you can go upstairs and take a nap.”

Thankfully, he went back up to his room willingly after breakfast. Lexa had no idea what she was going to do when he began fighting her during his episodes. She would eventually have to hire someone to be with him during the day. It would be sooner rather than later for James’ sake. Lexa  worried about him leaving the house one day and forgetting the way back. 

“Here’s your book, the TV remote, a glass of water,” Lexa said as she pointed to each item on the table by his bed. “If you get hungry, there’s leftovers in the fridge for you. Don't try to make anything on the stove or with the oven.”

“Who raised who here?” James asked, chuckling. “I’ll be fine, Lexa. You go on to work. I’ll see you when you get home.”

Lexa was thankful that he was back to normal before she had to leave. Some days Lexa had to call him once every ten minutes. Lincoln was always very nice about it if they were riding in the squad car together. 

Lexa was ready to get back to normal after her stint with weapon sorting. Kane had ended up letting her go back to patrol after three days. They discussed what happened and Lexa asked that he not tell anyone about her adoption. Kane promised that he would never disrespect James that way. After all, her father had once been Kane’s chief. 

“I’ll see you after work,” Lexa said. 

She made sure he had everything he needed once more before finally leaving the house. As happy as she was to get back to normal with Lincoln, Lexa still worried about Clarke’s case. She wished someone would give her an update. She almost wished she was in the room with Clarke to hear her new  theories .

Lexa had not appreciated that enough while Clarke was in town. She talked a lot when she worked. It did not matter who was in the room. Clarke spoke out loud when she had a deep thought or was working through a theory. Lexa would normally be immersed in her own theories and notetaking, but she would catch some of Clarke’s words. Lexa liked knowing where Clarke’s head was anyway. 

Lincoln was leaning against their squad car when Lexa parked. He was drinking from a paper coffee cup. She grabbed her own from the console before getting out. 

“Someone’s in a hurry today,” Lexa said.

“Nah,” he said. “Just didn’t want to get stuck doing paperwork. Anya texted and warned me not to come inside. Kane’s apparently on a warpath to get everything caught up.” 

“Thank god your sister works here,” Lexa said. “I do not want to be stuck behind a computer today.”

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“I guess so,” she said. “It just really bothers me that we didn’t catch the guy, you know? Have you heard anything?”

“No,” he said. “But I don’t think Griffin liked me very much. I doubt I would be on her shortlist of calls if she made a  breakthrough .”

“She doesn’t like anyone,” Lexa said. “Don’t take it personally. There's basically a black hole where her heart is supposed to be.”

Lincoln climbed into the driver’s seat as Lexa slid into her own. It was his day to drive. After spending three days in the freezing cold basement and sorting through heavy boxes, Lexa could not care less who was driving. She was just happy to see the sun. 

“You like her,” Lincoln said.

Lexa almost spit out her drink. “What?” she asked. 

“You like that tiny, blonde federal agent,” he said. “I don’t know why or how, but you do.”

“I can promise you, Linc, that I do not have feelings for Clarke,” Lexa said. 

“I wouldn’t make promises like that,” he said. “You act like I don’t know the two of you had sex. How many times did you do it anyway?”

“Once,” Lexa said. When Lincoln raised his eyebrow at her, she added, “This time. Twice the first time she was here.”

Lincoln smirked as he stopped at a red light. “I won’t tell anyone,” he said.

“Thank you,” Lexa said. 

Lexa thought a lot about the conversation as they rode around the city. Surely, Lexa had higher standards. Clarke Griffin was beautiful, patient, and ambitious. But she was also rude, annoying, and hardheaded. They would never work out even if they did not live states apart. Lexa was annoyed at herself for having the thought at all. Just because she was single and had been for a while did not mean she was desperate. Lexa would rather be single forever than date someone who drove her insane.

* * *

Clarke had not slept in what felt like days. After leaving Ohio, she had gone back to Washington to catch her team up on what she found. They were no closer to catching the murderer than she had been there, but Clarke was glad to be back. Her team worked well together and, for the most part, she liked them. 

“He will strike again,” Wells said, biting on the end of a pen. “At least now we know who his victims are.”

“Females between the ages of twenty and thirty,” Raven said. “The women were all adopted into middle class families. The first two victims were aware of their adoption, but the past five have not been.”

“We don’t know what that means,” Clarke said. “Our suspect is a white male, probably middle class. The victims have all been white and we know that serial killers usually go for victims within their own race.”

Indra entered the  room, and everything grew quiet. Wells and Raven were sitting on their desks, facing the board, while Clarke stood in the front of the room. She looked at each of them individually. The rest of the behavioral team had traveled to Maine for another case, so the three of them were expected to do the work of ten people. 

“We have less than a week before he kills again,” Indra said. “And we have nothing. Correct?”

“Not nothing,” Wells said. 

“We aren’t exactly psychics,” Clarke said. “It’s impossible to predict where he will strike. There's been no pattern as far as we can tell.”

“There’s a pattern,” Indra said. “ _ You  _ just haven’t figured it out yet.”

Clarke rolled her eyes as she studied the board again. It was covered in every detail they had about the murders. Her eyes followed the killer’s trail marked by flags on a map. There was nothing obvious that stood out. 

“It’s always a small town,” Clarke said. “Again, that’s still too wide of a net.”

Clarke wrote the names of every town where a victim’s body had been found. It did not spell anything obvious. She tried taking the first letters and unscrambling them. She found nothing. Clarke knew that there had to be something they were missing. It was frustrating and exhausting. 

“Keep digging,” Indra snapped. “No one is going home until we have something substantial!”

* * *

Lexa shut the siren off once Lincoln was back inside the car. He handed Lexa the clipboard he used to write up a speeding ticket. They had decided to park in an empty lot to eat their lunches when someone flew by in their car. Lincoln had volunteered to write it up which she appreciated. 

They wrote two more speeding tickets before heading back to the station. It was almost six by now and Lexa needed to get home to check on her dad. At least her day had been calm. She had a feeling that her father was going to have a rough night since his day started the way it did.

Lexa yawned as she walked toward her car. The SUV door was slightly open which made her pause. She had certainly closed the door. Right? But it was the driver’s side door and there was a possibility that she had accidentally left it open this morning. She could not clearly remember hearing it close.

Her hand moved to her gun just in case. She slid it out of the holster and quietly approached. With the gun in her hand, Lexa quickly pulled open the door and jumped back. There was no one in the front but there was a small, folded piece of paper on her seat. Instead of grabbing it, Lexa checked the rest of the car. 

“Anya, are you inside the station? Over,” Lexa spoke into the radio still attached to her uniform. 

“Yes, over,” she replied.

Lexa stared at the paper as she clicked the talking button again, “Bring gloves and an evidence bag to the parking lot. Over.”

Lexa did not have to look at the note to know who it was from. She had a terrible feeling. Anya hurried down the concrete steps and handed her the gloves. Her eyes widened when they landed on the folded paper on her seat.

“Go to my house and check on my dad,” Lexa said, urgently. “Stay with him until I get there.”

“On it,” Anya said, running back inside to get her keys. “I’ll get Kane, too.”

Lexa put the gloves on carefully. Her heart was pounding loud enough that she could hear it. She felt like she was being watched, but everything looked the same on the street as it always did. The only people on the street were two kids riding their bikes. 

The paper was folded six times. She carefully unfolded it. The writing inside was small and neat. She could not tell the gender from the writing alone. Lexa assumed it was a man though. Lexa had a sick feeling that it was the same man who murdered all those other women.

_ Do you remember? _

Even though the note only had three  words written inside, Lexa read it ten times. She had no idea what she was supposed to remember, but this note was obviously meant for her.  All his other victims were women who were also adopted. They had also been found with a string around their finger to symbolize remembering something.

“What does it say, Woods?” Kane asked, holding his gun against his thigh. 

Lexa held the note up for him to see. Once the paper was inside an evidence bag to ensure they could  scan it for prints later, she checked the rest of her car. There was nothing else out of the ordinary. But now all the trash from under her seats was exposed.

“We should check the handle for fingerprints,” Lexa said. “I need to call Agent Griffin.”

“I’ll get the forensics team  down here,” he said. “You need to find someone to take you home.”

“I will,” Lexa said. 

Lexa’s hands were shaking as she texted Anya to make sure everything was okay at her house. Anya’s response made her feel a million times better. Her father was  okay, and he knew exactly who Anya was. As Lexa looked up the number for a cab, her phone rang. 

“Hello?” Lexa asked.

“Woods, it’s me,” Clarke said. “I’m on my way. I’m bringing my whole team. Kane said something about a note.”

“It just said ‘do you remember?’” Lexa said. “But I have to figure out how I’m going to get home. Can I call you back once I’m there?”

“No, you can’t go home,” she said. 

Lexa sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I’m going home,” she said. “My dad’s there.”

“You need to check into a hotel,” Clarke said. “You can have someone get your dad and pack a bag. You live in the middle of fucking nowhere.”

Lexa was surprised by how intense Clarke’s voice suddenly was. It did nothing to calm her nerves. The fact that Clarke seemed worried only intensified them. It was Clarke who had studied this murderer since the very beginning. Clarke knew him better than anyone else and she was worried about Lexa’s safety. As scary as the situation was, Lexa kept thinking about her dad. 

“Clarke, I am going home to get my dad,” Lexa said. She was frustrated for a lot of reasons, but it was mostly fear. “I’ll take him to a hotel. You don’t understand. He’s... he gets confused sometimes and having someone else pick him up could really set him off. I’ll be fine, okay? Just... I’ll call when I get settled into the room.”

Lexa hung up the phone before Clarke could argue. Lexa’s mind was made up. Thankfully, Kane was able to give her a ride home. He promised to wait on the porch in case someone showed up. Anya was sitting on the couch while James sat at the table to eat his dinner. Apparently, Anya had heated up the leftover lasagna. 

“Hi, dad,” Lexa said. “I’m going to pack our bags, okay? I’ll be right back down.”

“So, it’s true?” he asked. “Anya said someone left something in your car. Who was it?”

“I don’t know,” Lexa said. “But we’re going to stay in a hotel room for a bit just in case.”

Lexa did not want to scare him, but time felt like it was moving faster than normal. She made sure to pack everything she thought her dad might need for at least a week. The most important thing was to make sure he had his medicine. She put every bottle into her toiletries bag, deciding to go through them later. 

“Okay, I think I got everything,” Lexa said. She threw the heavy backpack over her shoulder as she descended the stairs with a duffel bag in the other hand.

Lexa threw  both bags in her SUV before going back inside. She really hoped the person did not know her address. She felt weird for worrying about her house with everything else going on, but she loved her house. As Anya and her dad went outside to get into the cars, Lexa ran upstairs. Her mother’s jewelry was in a bag under the sink. She slid it into her pocket and grabbed the photo album under her bed. She also grabbed her favorite framed picture of the three of them. Her own young, smiling face stared back at her from between her parents. Lexa loved them so much. 

“Thank you, Anya,” Lexa said when she got outside. 

“I like your dad more than you anyway,” she said with a smile. 

Anya’s smile was forced. She was trying to lighten the mood and Lexa appreciated it. This was the reason she liked Anya so much.

Lexa followed her car through her half-mile long driveway. It had never felt so intimidating before tonight. She kept looking through the trees as if a horror movie  villain would be standing there in the dark. 

“I’m worried about you, Peanut,” James said.

Lexa sighed as she looked at him in the passenger seat. “There’s an FBI team coming to help,” she said. “And I’ll be extra careful.”

“I know,” he said. “But some people are... just plain crazy.”

“I know, daddy,” she said. “I promise that I’ll be okay.”

There was no way that Lexa could guarantee her own safety, but she was not going to let anyone hurt her father. If Lexa needed to hire a  full-time bodyguard, she would do it. 

“Everyone is doing their best to find the person who did it,” Lexa said. “Maybe this wasn’t even the same guy who killed that woman. It could be a copycat or someone just trying to scare me.”

“I certainly hope so,” James said.

Lexa nodded in agreement, but she knew the truth. 


	5. Chapter 5

As the water ran down Lexa’s back, she tried to block out Lincoln and her father’s voices outside the bathroom door. The hotel shower was not as nice as hers at home. She already missed being at home. The room was too small. Her dad was bound to go stir crazy after a few days. He enjoyed sitting on the front porch while he read. The thought reminded Lexa of the yardwork she had planned to do this weekend. All the new plants and bags of dirt were sitting in her garage. They would certainly die before she could put them into the ground. 

Lexa put on a tank top and sleep shorts. She brushed her teeth before emerging from the bathroom. Her father was sitting on his own bed as Lincoln sat on hers. Lexa sat on the other side and started to braid her hair. Lincoln stood up, nervously. 

“Relax, Linc,” Lexa said. “Not like I'll make a move on you.” 

Lincoln, at least, looked embarrassed. She felt slightly bad for him. When they first became partners, Lincoln was careful not to do anything remotely inappropriate. He would overly talk about his girlfriend as if Lexa did not know what he was doing. But that all ended when Lexa asked him if she could ask one of Octavia’s friends on a date. She never ended up asking, but Lincoln no longer flinched every time they accidentally touched hands on the car console anymore. 

“I know, but I’ve never seen you in...” he said, motioning toward her. 

Lexa looked down at herself. “In a tank top?” she asked. 

“I’ve never even seen your legs before,” he said. “Almost forgot you had them. Guess I know now why you always beat me when we run together.” 

“Lexa runs every day,” James said. 

“I try to anyway,” she said. 

Lexa glanced at the clock as her father went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She rubbed her face with both hands. Even though she was tired, Lexa’s mind was in overdrive. The door seemed too thin and the window was too accessible. 

“Don’t worry,” Lincoln said. “Someone’s staying outside in the parking lot all night. They can see your room door from the car.” 

“That’s good,” Lexa said. “At least I know my dad will be safe here. I need to find someone to watch him twenty-four seven. I’m not taking any chances. This is all my fault.” 

“How is it your fault?” he asked. 

“It just is,” she said. “I helped the FBI.” 

Lincoln rolled his eyes. “Don’t do that,” he said. “This is because someone has a sick agenda. We’ll find the psycho.” 

“I know you don’t want to talk about this,” Lexa said. “But if something happens to me...” 

“Stop,” he said. 

“No, I’m serious,” Lexa said. “I need you to promise that you’ll take care of my dad. Find him a retirement home or something. A home that can take care of him when his dementia gets bad. You can help him sell my house, so it’ll cover the bills. Those homes are expensive.” 

“Lexa, nothing is going to happen to you,” he said. 

“I know,” she said. “But promise me that you’ll help him if something does. You’re my best friend. There's no one else I can trust with this.” 

“I promise,” Lincoln finally said. “Don’t get soft on me.” 

Lexa laughed. “Never,” she said. 

Lincoln left just after her dad fell asleep that night. Lexa laid back in the bed and ran through all Clarke’s theories from last week. They had seemed so outlandish when the victims were people Lexa did not know personally, but now it seemed like anyone could be a serial killer. The man who put that note in her car was out there somewhere. 

She must have fallen asleep eventually. The next thing she knew, there was someone knocking on her door. Lexa squinted as she looked at the clock and groaned softly. It was nearly four in the morning. Lexa yawned as she pulled open the door to find Clarke standing in front of the door along with Raven and another beautiful person. None of them looked as though they had just driven here for eight hours. 

“Get dressed and come to room 104,” Clarke said. 

Lexa groaned as she closed the door in their faces. She was tired of being bossed around and now she was cranky from being woken up, too. But this was urgent. Lexa left a note for her dad with the room number to call if he woke up. She stared at him for a moment from the doorway. When her eyes got misty, Lexa stepped out of the room and made sure the door was locked. 

Another agent standing outside of the room, guarding the door, let her inside. Raven was laid across the room with her laptop open in front of her. The male agent had his feet up on the extra chair as he typed away. Clarke had two laptops open on the desk. She also had two large file folders beside her arm. 

“I’m hacking into the camera system now,” Raven said. 

“Good,” Clarke said. 

“Send me a copy of the note, so I can run it through the handwriting database,” the guy said. 

“I already have,” Clarke said. “No hits.” 

“How can that be?” he asked. “Everything comes back with a hit. There's only so many ways people can write.” 

“Okay, let me be clearer,” Clarke said, turning to look at him. “The hits it came back with did not match the note at all. Plus, all the hits were from people already in prison.” 

When she turned back around, the guy rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Next time, say that the first time.” 

“Shut up, Wells,” Clarke said. 

“Umm... why did you need me here?” Lexa asked. 

Finally, Raven and Wells tore their eyes from the computer screens. At least she was not invisible as she had begun to feel. It seemed that all agents were the same. 

“Because we need to find out why he wrote what he did,” Clarke said. She pointed at the bed. “Sit.” 

Lexa crossed her arms across her chest. She stared at Clarke until the woman noticed and looked up at her. 

“We need to talk,” Lexa said. “ _Alone_.” 

Raven and Wells looked up at Clarke. Lexa had a feeling the two knew they had sex. It made her feel exposed. Lincoln only knew because he guessed correctly. Something deep down fluttered at the thought of Clarke telling them. But perhaps they had also guessed. Or worse, Clarke had told them it was a mistake. 

Clarke finally stood and grabbed her by the wrist. She pulled Lexa into the bathroom. “What is it?” she asked. 

Lexa closed the door. “For starters,” she said. “I need you to stop bossing me around.” 

“Lexa, we don’t have time for this,” Clarke said. 

“You’re going to listen to me,” Lexa said firmly. “You’re going to stop bossing me around and you’re going to answer my questions.” 

“What are your questions?” she asked. 

“Why did you kick me off the case?” Lexa asked. 

“Because I was going back to D.C. anyway and it wasn’t feasible for you to continue working on it,” Clarke said. 

“When did you find out I was adopted?” Lexa asked. 

“Listen,” she said. “We can talk about this later, okay? We have a ton of stuff to do and I haven’t even slept yet.” 

Clarke stepped past her and left the bathroom. There was something Clarke was not telling her. Lexa had thought so before but Clarke’s reaction to her question proved it. She walked out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed. It was not because Clarke had told her to. Her legs were tired. 

“Do you have any idea what the note was referring to?” Clarke asked. 

“No,” Lexa answered. 

“Now that we know his demographic, we can assume he’s referring to something about your adoption,” she said. “Does that make sense to you?” 

“None of this makes sense to me,” she said. “But I still have no idea what the note means.” 

Lexa focused on the sounds of the three of them typing on their laptops. She wished she were sleeping in the room with her dad, so she would at least be there if something happened. Lexa had to believe that the police could protect him or else she would go insane. 

“I think we might have to pay that orphanage a visit,” Raven said. “Maybe they can give us some information about her birth parents.” 

“I’m sitting right here,” Lexa said, angrily. She looked back at the woman who was sitting against the headboard. “You can talk directly to me instead of around me. If you don’t want my help, then let me go back to sleep.” 

Lexa grew angrier when Raven only rolled her eyes in response. It seemed like all agents had that skill. She was sick of them already. There was no way Lexa was going to survive working with the three of them if the murderer did not get to her first. 

“I doubt we’ll find out much from orphanage,” Clarke said. “But she wasn’t adopted until she was two, so someone might remember her.” 

“What was your name at the orphanage?” Raven asked. 

“Becca,” Lexa said. “My mom changed it and named me after my grandmother.” 

“Your adoptive grandmother,” Raven said. 

Lexa did her best to stay calm. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. It would be stupid to get upset. These people would not care if she did anyway. They were just lucky her mother was not around to hear them add ‘adoptive’ to any of her family members. Hannah would have set them straight. Lexa missed her so badly right now that it physically hurt. 

If Lexa did not want to catch this man so badly, she would have left the room. She was working with robots. 

“My grandmother, Alexandria,” Lexa said. 

Clarke wrote the name Becca on a sticky note. Lexa tried thinking back as far as she could. Unsurprisingly, Lexa could not remember anything before her parents. The earliest memory she had was around nine or ten. One thing that stood out was picking a cat on her birthday. Their neighbor’s cat had kittens and Lexa got to take one home. She was so happy. The cat ended up following her mother around everywhere. Lexa did not mind because she did the same thing. 

“I think we should all try to get some sleep,” Clarke said. “We can meet here in the morning and ride to the police station together. The forensics team should be done with your car by then.” 

“Monty promised to text me when he was done,” Raven said. 

“Who is Monty?” Lexa asked. 

“He’s the forensics’ team lead,” Wells said. “He’s really good.” 

“Dude, ask him out already,” Raven said. 

“You brought your own forensic team?” Lexa asked. 

“Yes,” Clarke said. “We needed to make sure nothing was missed. Not that your team is bad, but...” 

“It’s alright,” Lexa said, standing. “Don’t worry about it. I’m going back to my room.” 

Much to her surprise, Clarke followed her to the hallway. She closed the door behind herself as Lexa looked out at the parking lot. There were five black SUVs in the parking lot now along with the two police cars. 

“You need to be extra careful, Lexa,” Clarke said. 

Lexa looked at Clarke now and noticed how tired she suddenly was. “You never call me by my first name,” she said. 

“Well, I'm exhausted,” Clarke said. 

“I can tell,” she said. “I need a favor. I need someone to stay with my dad. Until we catch this guy.” 

“I’ll find someone,” Clarke said. “Don’t worry about it. Nothing's going to happen to him. Nothing's going to happen to you either because you’re going to do everything I say.” 

“And what about that is going to be different from before?” Lexa asked. 

Clarke, for the first time, laughed in front of Lexa. It was a nice sound. Some of her worries fell away momentarily. Lexa had never seen the expression Clarke now wore. The way she was staring at Lexa made her feel lightheaded. Lexa was surprised how a simple thing like that could affect her so much. 

“We’re going to find him,” Clarke said. 

“I know.” 

“Someone will be there to guard your door before you wake up,” she said. “And I’ll make a schedule for your dad’s guards.” 

“Thank you, Clarke,” Lexa said. “I really mean that.” 

“I know,” she said. 

Lexa glanced back at the men staring from the police cars and SUVs. There was a part of her that wanted to find a place to hide and distract herself by pleasing Clarke. But they could not do that for so many reasons. For one, Lexa was trying to break these pointless feelings she had for Clarke anyway. For two, they could not let anyone know about their relationship. Lexa had to remind herself that it was not a relationship. It was an affair, perhaps. It was probably _nothing_ to Clarke. 

“You should sleep while you can,” Clarke said. 

“I will,” she said. “As long as you do, too.” 

“I’ll do my best,” she said. 

The door of Clarke’s room opened. Raven was carrying out a giant bag and laptop under her arm. She unlocked the door beside Clarke’s room. Raven did not even look at them before slipping inside and closing the door. By the time Raven was out of sight, Wells came out of the room too. He was sleeping in the room on Clarke’s other side. Clarke caught her hotel room door before it could close. She glanced back and Lexa stupidly thought she was going to say goodnight. 

“Go on,” Clarke said. “It looks like you could use more sleep.” 

Lexa was about to retort. She could not think of anything clever to say before Clarke was inside the room once more. 

* * *

Monty Green was obviously passionate about his job. He had not stopped talking since they arrived, and Lexa had learned nothing. Monty had not found anything of significance. But his tone would suggest otherwise. 

As they found out from the security cameras the night before, whoever had left the note had been wearing a big hoodie and black gloves. Lexa was surprised no one had noticed a man creeping around the parking lot the day before. Lexa always stood out because of her uniform though. Most casually dressed people did not stand out. 

“We found small black fibers that are consistent with the gloves he wore,” Monty said. “No fingerprints. We found several shoeprints in the dirt not far from the car, but there is no way we can tell for sure who they came from.” 

“What if we-” Wells started. 

“Already done,” Monty said. “We’ll compare the shoe print molds I made to the suspect’s shoes when you arrest someone.” 

“Good,” Wells said. 

Lexa could now see why Raven had insisted Wells ask Monty out. There was obvious chemistry between the two of them. Lexa looked towards Clarke who was talking very intensely to Kane. No one was telling her anything or asking for her opinion. This entire case now involved Lexa, but everyone was treating her like a victim instead of a cop. 

“What can I do to help?” Lexa asked. “Someone please give me something to do.” 

“Don’t get killed,” Clarke said as she walked past her. 

“You’re starting to annoy me, Griffin.” 

“Starting to?” 

Lexa rolled her eyes and sat on the concrete steps in front of the police station. She looked up and down the street at all the cars going by. Her eyes landed on something odd. There was someone on top of the building across the street. She had never noticed anyone up there before now. It looked like someone taking a smoke break, but she knew it was not. 

“Fuck,” Lexa mumbled. 

The sound of a gunshot rang out on the quiet street. To Lexa, it felt like an out of body experience. She heard the bullet whiz by her ear before she could move. There was shouting and people were running toward the building across the street. Lincoln was lifting and dragging Lexa into the police station before she could fully understand what was happening. 

“I need to get Clarke,” Lexa said out of instinct. 

“She’s going after the shooter,” he said. 

“What? Let me go,” she said, fighting Lincoln’s hold. 

Lexa looked back to find the street empty once more. Everyone besides Monty had apparently gone into the building, or surrounding buildings, to chase down the person who had shot at Lexa. Monty was pushing her inside along with Lincoln. She was fighting their holds. 

“Let me go,” Lexa shouted. “I can help.” 

“Lexa, he just tried to kill you,” Lincoln shouted back. They were inside the front lobby now. Lincoln pushed her against the wall and away from the glass doors. “They’ll be fine. He doesn’t want to hurt them.” 

“But he will if he can,” she argued. 

“They’re good at their jobs,” Monty said. He leaned around the wall to look at the building. He looked nervous, too. 

Lexa was trained to be calm in stressful situations. She learned a lot from her father while she was growing up. Both her parents were very calm and rational people. But this was a situation that she had no preparation for. How could she even explain the reasoning behind her need to protect Clarke? 

It was only five minutes later when Kane walked through the doors. Wells followed him and Lexa could see the relief in Monty’s face. 

“Where is everyone else?” Lexa asked. 

“They’ll probably be back soon,” Kane said. “I think they’re sweeping the rest of the building. I’m supposed to make sure you get to a safehouse.” 

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. 

“It isn’t an option,” he said. “I’m taking you to a safehouse right now.” 

Lexa looked toward Lincoln for help, but he agreed. They practically dragged her to one of the SUVs and threw her into the back. Two federal agents were in the front seats. Lexa turned back around to look out the back windshield, desperate to catch a glimpse of Clarke, but the car turned a corner and she could not see the building anymore. 


	6. Chapter 6

Lexa was surprised to find that ‘the safehouse’ Kane had  spoken of was  an apartment in a rundown building.  The apartment was fully furnished and looked as though someone already lived here. Lexa had known they had these safehouses all over the city just in case the police department needed to hide someone. But she had never expected to be the one in hiding. 

The pantry was, surprisingly, well stocked. She decided to make something to eat to distract herself from all her worries. The agents were on their way to pick up her father now, so she hoped to have everything ready for him once he arrived. Lexa knew this was all too much for her father. James was bound to snap at some point. Lexa hoped it was her who he snapped on. No one knew how to care for her father like she did.

Thankfully, Lexa had memorized most of her grandmother’s recipes. The apartment pantry and fridge  were stocked with only the basics. Lexa was able to gather what she needed to make one of her grandmother’s pasta sauces. She filled a pot with water so it could get hot while she started on the sauce. By the time she heard her father enter the apartment, the food was almost ready.

“What is that wonderful smell?” James asked. He carried their bags into the small kitchen.

Lexa grabbed him in a hug. She had changed out of her uniform into leggings and a long sleeve shirt she found in the bedroom, so she was not  squishing him when she squeezed. Lexa saw Clarke standing in the foyer over his shoulder. Lexa was relieved to see her unharmed.

“Thank you for bringing him to me,” Lexa said. “Give me a second.”

Lexa took her dad’s hand and led him to the living room. He playfully smacked her hand away and held up the novel he was reading. “No hovering, peanut,” he teased.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” she said. “I’ll bring you a plate.”

When Lexa got back to the front hall, Clarke was even closer to the door. She looked ready to leave. 

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Lexa asked.

“You were almost shot in the head and you’re cooking,” she said. Clarke chuckled a few times. “You are a very strange person, Woods. But no. I can’t stay. We might have found something. Everyone’s waiting for me at the hotel.”

“Right,” Lexa said. “I... I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Don’t do that,” Clarke said. “You know the dangers of this job.”

Lexa nodded and turned back to the stove. She loaded a plate with her grandmother’s pasta. Clarke was still standing there when she turned back around, and Lexa was slightly surprised. Lexa laid the plate in front of her father on the coffee table. He never ate in front of the TV at home, but this had been the craziest day of her life. She did not care where her father ate dinner right now.

Clarke’s hand was on the doorknob when Lexa got back to the kitchen. 

“Thank you for driving my dad here,” Lexa said.

Lexa’s hand shook as she made her own plate of food. She felt better after turning her back to Clarke. She did not want to see the blonde leave after the day she had. Her body was still pumping with adrenaline from the near-death experience. Lexa was terrified of getting her friends killed. 

There was a touch Lexa barely felt. When she turned her head to the side, Clarke was standing close enough for Lexa to smell. Clarke was pulling gently on the end of her hair that was pulled back. She barely felt Clarke’s fingers on her back, but they were there.

“I’m glad you’re okay, too,” Clarke whispered.

There was something in her tone that Lexa had never heard before. It was raw emotion. Lexa was  _ not  _ crazy for feeling the stupid things she did about Clarke. But she had almost died. Lexa was feeling more sentimental than normal and Clarke must be feeling the same way. This was all because of the crazy day they had just been through. 

“There’ll be someone in the parking lot at all times,” Clarke said. “And your neighbors are working with us. They’re watching the cameras. The bathroom is the only room without a camera.”

“Are the cameras the reason you won’t actually touch me?” Lexa whispered.

“No,” Clarke said. “I’m not touching you because... we can’t continue this. I volunteered to drive your dad.”

“Continue what?”

“Exactly.”

Clarke’s hands were gone, and Lexa finished making her plate. When she turned to join her father on the couch, the blonde was gone. They finished dinner, her father took a shower, and got into bed. She undressed and stepped into the shower. Normally, the steam and hot water made her feel better.

Lexa felt like the biggest idiot in the world. This was the type of thing that happened in movies. Casual sex never worked out. But it had never been casual in the normal sense. Their hookups had been angry and desperate. Well, twice it had been angry. The sex in Lexa’s bed had been nice, but desperate. But now Lexa was done. Clarke had embarrassed her for the last time. Lexa Woods was more than some dumb teenager chasing a girl. 

Lexa dried herself off with a towel from under the sink. She refused to lay in bed and cry. Crying over Clarke would not make any difference. Lexa had always known Clarke was emotionally unavailable. The only thing Clarke cared about was her job and the serial killers she hunted. Lexa would never fit on her list and that was okay. Lexa had so many other things to worry about. The biggest thing was not getting killed. 

James was asleep when Lexa checked on him once more. She watched him for a moment as she stood in the doorway. It made her feel like an overprotective parent and she chuckled on her way back to the other bedroom. Perhaps caring for her father would be the closest thing she ever got to that feeling anyway.

It was not until Lexa was  lying in bed before she  realized how self-deprecating she was acting. Lexa was not the first person to like someone she should not. She would  certainly not be the last. But Clarke’s words replayed in her head. She said they could not continue  _ this _ . Lexa wanted to know what she meant. If there was nothing between them... what had Clarke been referring to?

* * *

The knock on the door caused Lexa to grab her gun from the counter. “Who is it?” she asked.

“Lincoln,” he said through the thick, metal door. 

Lexa’s shoulders relaxed as she pulled the door opened to find Lincoln and his girlfriend standing there. “Wow, they actually let you through?” she asked Octavia.

“Lincoln wouldn’t let me flash them,” Octavia said. 

Lexa laughed as she moved aside to let them in. “My dad’s napping in the bedroom,” she said. “He’s a pretty heavy sleeper though.”

“I must say that for someone who  almost died yesterday, you look really good, Lex,” Octavia said. 

Lexa blushed. “Thanks,” she said. “It’s all the trauma.”

“Did you have terrible dreams? Were you able to sleep at all?” Octavia asked. 

Lexa thought about the night before. She realized now just how silly it had been to worry about Clarke and not her near-death experience. Lexa promised herself that she was going to forget all about the stupid, irrational feelings she had for Clarke. After all, someone was trying to kill her. 

“I slept okay,” Lexa said. 

“I brought you the coffee you like,” Lincoln said, handing her the cup. “ Niylah asked about you. I told her you were super busy lately.”

“Thank you,” Lexa said, sincerely. “That was very thoughtful. I already miss seeing  Niylah in the mornings.”

“You miss the coffee she makes,” he said. “I’m not sure why you don’t go out with her. She obviously likes you.”

“I’m not sure why I don’t either,” she admitted. “Maybe I will once I can leave again.”

“The feds are sweeping the rooftop again today,” Lincoln said. 

“They won’t find anything,” Lexa said. “If there was anything left behind, the wind probably took it away.”

Even if Clarke and her team found gunpowder, there would be no way of knowing it came from the shooter. Most evidence was considered  inadmissible anyway. Octavia and Lincoln sat on the couch. She sat across from them and turned off the TV. It was odd knowing that her neighbors were secret agents who were watching them right now.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Lexa said. “With the case. With you. Whatever. I'm bored out of my mind.”

“Well, they haven’t found much out with the case,” Lincoln said. “Octavia didn’t believe me when I said Wells was gay.”

“He’s gay?” she asked.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “Him and the tiny guy are always sneaking off.”

“Really?” Lexa asked.

Before knowing that, Lexa had tried to believe that relationships were not allowed. She wanted to believe that there was another reason Clarke did not want her. She was happier thinking that way. But now she knew the truth.

“Lexa has a crush on the blonde one,” Lincoln said to his girlfriend.

“No, I don’t,” Lexa said. “She came by last night. Dropped dad off. She wanted to make sure I knew that nothing was ever going to happen.”

“Good,” he said. “I don’t like her anyway.”

Octavia rolled her eyes at Lexa and then looked over at her boyfriend. “You’re cute,” she said. “Your like Lexa’s protective brother.”

“Too protective sometimes,” Lexa said. “He acts like I’m incapable of protecting myself.”

“Lexa, someone tried to kill you yesterday,” Lincoln said. 

“Either he’ll kill  me, or he won’t,” she said. “I don’t really see how we’re going to stop him if he really wants to.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked, angrily.

“I can’t stay locked up in this apartment forever,” Lexa said. “And the feds will have to leave eventually.”

“So, you don’t care if you live or die?” Octavia asked.

“ Of course, I care,” Lexa said. “I don’t want to die. But I know the reality of this situation. The guy’s obviously smart. He's killed seven women so far.”

“We’re smart than he is,” Lincoln said. 

“But we have no idea what his plan is,” she said. “I have a feeling he missed me on purpose yesterday. He’s fucking with me. He's trying to scare me.”

“Well...” Octavia said. “Aren’t you scared?”

“Yes,” she replied. “It would kill my dad.”

Lexa glanced at the closed door of the room he was sleeping in. She knew it was true. If something happened to Lexa, he would let himself go. His dementia would escalate until it killed  him, or he would end his life himself. She could not stomach that thought. 

* * *

Clarke almost fell asleep while standing up in the shower. It was almost two in the morning when she finally returned to her hotel room. She was feeling overwhelmed by their lack of progress. With Lexa hidden away, Clarke had a feeling that the guy was going to disappear until she emerged again. Lexa would be dead the second she did.

There was no point in worrying about it right now. Without sleep, Clarke would not be able to focus tomorrow. She stepped out of the shower and into her silk sleep shorts. Her body was on the verge of collapse, but she grabbed her phone from the nightstand. 

The phone rang a few times before her mother answered. “Hi, sweetheart,” Abby said. “How are things going?”

“Not very well,” she admitted. “How are things there?”

“He’s doing good, Clarke,” her mother said. “He’s asleep. Do you want me to wake him up?”

“No, that’s okay,” Clarke said. “Just tell him in the morning that I called. I’m okay. Tell him I love him. I'll be home as soon as I can.”

“I will, baby,” she said. “Be safe. I love you.”

“I love you,” Clarke replied.

* * *

James was standing in front of the window when Lexa came out of her bedroom the next day. She watched him for a moment before clearing her throat. 

“Morning, peanut,” he said.

“Good morning, daddy,” Lexa said. “Let me make you breakfast.”

“I’ll go watch TV or something,” he said.

Lexa was positive that her headache was caused by being cooped up in this apartment. She had never woken up with a headache before today. Her first instinct was that she was being poisoned somehow. For a few minutes, Lexa wondered if  _ he was _ somehow gassing the apartment to kill her slowly. But that was not his style. He liked meeting the women’s eyes before he killed them. He liked talking to them first.

Later that morning, Lexa got dressed and pulled her hood over her head. Maybe she could slip out for just a few minutes without anyone noticing. A walk around the block would make her feel a million times better. Before she could touch the doorknob, someone was unlocking her door and coming inside. She reached for the gun in her thigh holster before noticing who was in her doorway.

“And where the hell were you planning on going?” Wells asked.

“You scared the shit out of me, asshole,” Lexa said.

“I’m the asshole?” he asked. “We’re here to save your fucking ass and you’re trying to get yourself killed.”

Lexa sighed and put the gun back. The metal was cold against her skin. “You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry. God, I’m just going crazy being stuck in here.”

“I know,” Wells said, sighing. “I knew you would try to leave today. The guys next door called me when they saw you were putting a hoodie on.”

Wells laughed softly as he walked into the living room and  fell back  on the couch. Lexa followed him and sat in the chair. 

“I’m sorry for trying to leave,” she said. “I just feel so helpless, so useless. My dad had a  really bad night, so I barely got any sleep.”

“Sorry about your dad,” he said. “And I understand feeling helpless. You're going from being a cop to a chicken in a coop. Too bad your threat is bigger than coyotes.”

“Speaking of, I think he missed me on purpose,” Lexa said.

“Really?” he asked. “What makes you say that?”

“Maybe he’s trying to scare me,” Lexa said. “He wants me to take him seriously or something. I admit that it worked.”

“Maybe you’re right,” he said. “But I think he was trying to kill you. I think he wanted to kill you in front of us. I think he wanted us to see.”

Lexa imagined Clarke standing over her dead body. She wondered how Clarke would feel. Clarke had been around a lot of dead bodies in her career. Perhaps she would be sad for a little. Clarke might even think on the time they spent together. But Clarke would move on. She would find another  _ stupid  _ cop to sleep with. 

“I think he wanted Clarke to see,” Wells said. “We have a theory. He's been watching you for  a while obviously. Perhaps he saw Clarke at your house.”

“Maybe so,” she said. 

“Look... I don’t want to get in the middle of whatever is happening,” Wells said. “But there’s something you should know about her...”

“Please don’t,” she begged. “I don’t want to hear it. Whatever it is, she doesn’t want me to know.”

They did not speak much after that. Wells stayed for a few hours before finally leaving. It was hard not to be depressed after he left. Her dad slept most of the day. Lexa tried watching a movie. Thankfully, she remembered that she was being watching when a  particular scene played on the TV. If only the cameras were not watching, she could have happily distracted herself for half an hour.


	7. Chapter 7

“Daddy, you can’t leave,” Lexa said for the fifth time. 

“But I need to go find your mother,” James said. 

Lexa rubbed her eyes. “Why don’t you go take a nap?” she asked. “Mom will come here.” 

“Hannah doesn’t know how to get here,” he said. 

Lexa was exhausted. She looked at the clock and saw that it was ten thirty. Lexa had tried all her usual tricks. All the apartment lights were off. His medicine had apparently not kicked in yet. She had had to crush it and add it to a glass of water for him to take it at all. Lexa hated tricking him, but she had no other option. This episode had lasted longer than most. 

“Daddy, won’t you please go lay down?” Lexa asked. “Come on. I’ll put a movie on in your bedroom. I’m sure this place gets that Western channel you like.” 

Lexa stood in front of the front door when he tried to move past her. Even though he was taller, Lexa was stronger. It had not always been that way, but he had gotten weaker as he got older and his dementia progressed. She thought back to when his episodes would only last a few minutes. Back then, it had been manageable by herself. There was no way she could go back to work and leave him alone now. 

As much as it was going to kill her, Lexa knew she would have to make some hard decisions soon. The current situation they were in did nothing to help. Lexa could not risk him trying to leave in the middle of the night while she slept. She had noticed his episodes getting worse in the week they had been quarantined at the safehouse. Lexa could not blame him for his current mental state. Lexa had even had moments of depression while being locked away in this apartment. 

James finally fell asleep at eleven. His medicine took affect very suddenly. Lexa led him to the bed and sat there for a while. Once she was sure he was completely asleep, Lexa left the room. She took a long shower in hopes it would wash the stress away. It did very little to help. 

Lexa desperately wanted this to be over. She missed being a cop. She missed being in her own home. Lexa did not want to die, but this was not working for her. It had only been a week and she was going crazy. 

Lincoln had brought some wine over a few days before. She poured a glass and sat on the couch. She had never been much of a wine drinker, but it was nearly two in the morning and Lexa was tired. Sleep did not come easily anymore. She had terrible dreams and it was almost impossible to go to sleep without something to help. Melatonin only worked for her sometimes. 

As she stared at the TV, Lexa could not shut her mind off. She had hoped the television show would distract her for a while, but it seemed like nothing worked anymore. Before coming to the safehouse, Lexa would go for a long run and feel reborn by the time she returned home on nights like this. All her coping mechanisms had been taken away. After a nice ten-mile run, she could have showered and fallen asleep easily. 

Lexa heard a strange sound as she stood to go back to bed. It was the sound of paper sliding across the ground. When she looked down the hall, there was an envelope lying on the ground. It had been slid under the door and into the apartment. Lexa grabbed her gun from a drawer in the kitchen and rushed to the door. By the time she opened it, four agents were rushing around the hall to look for the person who left it. 

“Don’t open it,” one of them said. “I think they found the kid who slipped it under your door. He lives in the building. Someone must have paid him off to do it.” 

Lexa was not allowed to go with the feds downtown. They rode the teenager down to the station to interview him properly. Monty and his forensics team were called in to inspect the envelope. They took it away before Lexa could see what was inside. 

After ten minutes of being interviewed, Lexa heard the familiar sound of five-inch heels walking down the hallway. The agents and cops seemed to part as Clarke came into view. She had not seen Clarke since she dropped her dad off. Lexa had expected to feel awkward around Clarke, but she felt relieved to see her right now. 

“Thank god you’re here,” Lexa said. “No one will listen to me.” 

Clarke messed with her phone for a moment before holding it up for Lexa to see. “Do you recognize this picture?” she asked. 

Lexa nodded. She would know that picture from anywhere. It was the first picture her parents had taken of her. She was two years old. Her mom was on one side and her dad was on her other side. They were each holding one of her hands. Someone at the orphanage must have taken it because the old building was in the background. 

“This polaroid picture was inside the envelope,” Clarke said. “This and a note.” 

“What did the note say?” she asked. 

“It said, ‘Look closely and you will find me,’” Clarke said. “Monty is reviewing the picture now. We have no idea if he means that literally or figuratively.” 

“That’s where I lived until I was two,” Lexa said. 

It had been a long time since she thought about the fact that someone had left her on the steps of that horrible place. Even though she was too young to remember anything concrete, Lexa remembered feeling lonely and scared. The first few years with her parents had been difficult for Lexa according to them. Lexa constantly had nightmares where she would wake up screaming. But when she slept with her parents, Lexa would wet the bed. 

Lexa remembered going to therapy sessions until she was ten. She colored a lot and drew pictures. Her refrigerator was always covered in her drawings. Every time she would give her parents a picture, they would pretend to be so excited. If Lexa had not been terrified or surrounded by cops, she could have cried. 

“I should tell you something, Woods,” Clarke said. 

If she did not sound so serious, Lexa would have rolled her eyes. She was sick of Clarke calling her by her last name. 

“The women killed,” Clarke said. “They all spent some time in that same orphanage. The one you were raised in.” 

“I know this isn’t important right now, but I wasn’t raised in that orphanage,” she said. “I was raised by my mom and dad. There were too many kids and not enough adults. No one was being raised there. We were fed and clothed. It makes sense that he grew up there. He was probably never loved by anyone in his life if he spent his life there.” 

“You have to be right,” Clarke said. “I need to call Wells and Monty.” 

“Clarke!” she called as the blonde walked away quickly. 

Lexa had no idea what she was ‘right’ about. She tried running after her to find out what Clarke had meant but Raven stopped her. 

“What did she mean about me being right?” Lexa asked. 

“Let’s go inside,” Raven said, motioning toward the apartment door. 

“I’m sick of being in there.” 

“Fine. Let's stay out here and wait for him to show up. Once he finds you, you won’t have much to be sick of anyways.” 

Lexa sighed as she turned around and went into the apartment. Raven was right. Obviously, they would have to move safehouses now that the man knew where they lived. Lexa made sure to stay clear of windows in case he was watching. It was terrifying to think of him watching her through a sniper rifle. She would be dead before she could do anything to help herself. 

“I’ll give you twenty minutes to pack,” Raven said. 

“I never unpacked anything, so that won’t be a problem,” she said. “But... I’m thinking that my dad should be taken somewhere else until all this is over. He needs more care than what I can give him right now.” 

“You mean like a short-term facility?” Raven asked. 

“Yes,” Lexa said. “But I want him to have a full-time bodyguard and I want him in another state.” 

“Done and done,” she said. “I think it’s a good idea. He’s not after James.” 

“God, I hope not.” 

Lexa woke her dad up only after everything was packed. Raven carried the duffel bags as Lexa helped him. Agents surrounded the two of them until they were inside the safety of an SUV with heavily tinted windows. Her father was, expectantly, confused. She explained the situation the best she could. 

“So, I think it’s in everyone’s best interest for you to stay at a short-term facility until they catch the guy,” Lexa said. 

“No, I need to stay with you,” James said. 

Lexa moved to the middle seat. “I’ll call you every day,” she said. She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ll be okay. Before you know it, I’ll be picking you up and taking you home.” 

James tried to argue. Somehow, Raven got through to him with a few carefully worded half-truths. Lexa appreciated her help. She felt so guilty for allowing the feds to take him when he needed her the most. Every day could be his last good one and she would miss every day he spent away from her. 

“Someone can fly you out first thing tomorrow morning,” Raven told him. “We’ll stay in a hotel room until then.” 

Lexa had never liked Raven more than right then. She helped Lexa get her father into the hotel room. Raven set up her laptop on the desk as James tried to fall asleep. Lexa sat on the edge of the other bed. His medicine had kept him tired, so she hoped he would remember their conversation the next morning. 

“Have you heard anything from Clarke?” Lexa asked. 

“No,” she said. “I probably won’t hear anything until tomorrow morning. She's going to pass out the first time she sits down.” 

“Really?” Lexa asked. “Has she not been sleeping?” 

Raven scoffed. “I don’t think she knows what sleep means anymore,” she said. “This case is killing her. Everyone knows it, but she won't listen. I keep telling her to take a day and go home to see... To take a day off, I mean.” 

“To see who?” Lexa asked. 

“No one,” she said. Raven turned and pointed at her, looking stern “And you’ll forget I said anything, too.” 

“I’ll forget about it if you tell me who you’re talking about,” Lexa said. 

Raven sighed and spun back around in the chair. She unlocked her computer and typed for a bit. Soon, security camera footage popped up on the screen. It must be the hotel security cameras. 

“I can’t tell you,” Raven said after a while. 

“Is she married or something? No, never mind. Forget I asked. I respect that you’re keeping her secret.” 

Lexa fell back on the bed and closed her eyes. She imagined Clarke returning home to a giant house and rich husband. The thought made her jealous. If she was married, Lexa had helped her cheat. That was an upsetting thought, but that was not the only reason she was upset by it. 

“You’re a much better person than I am,” Raven said. “If someone was that mysterious about a girl I liked, I would be beating the shit out of that person for more information. Actually, I did beat the shit out of someone. But that was different.” 

“You beat up someone for what reason?” Lexa asked. She sat up on her elbows to look at Raven. 

“Totally different situation than the one you’re in, but let’s just say I can be a little jealous,” she said. “Turned my girlfriend on. You should have seen her when we got home from the club that night.” 

Lexa laughed softly. “That is a different situation,” she said. 

“It isn’t my business at all,” Raven said. “But Clarke isn’t married.” 

“Thanks, Raven,” Lexa said. “Did she tell you anything?” 

“About you two having sex?” Raven asked. 

“Yes,” she said. 

“No, but you just did,” Raven said, chuckling. “I figured you did anyway. She acted so weird when we got the call from Ohio about the shooting.” 

“Weird how?” 

“I don’t know how to explain it, but she was all defensive. Like when she was talking to Kane, he said something about you and her voice got all high-pitched. Then I saw you at the scene and that told me everything.” 

“What? How?” 

“Because you’re hot and tall and fit and nothing like Clarke’s type.” 

Lexa blushed. She had not been expecting the compliments and she was not sure if she believed half of them. “What is her type?” she asked. 

“That’s a hard question, but she mostly likes assholes. Ever since her husband... Fuck. I shouldn’t have said that.” 

“You’ve already said it now. What happened to her husband?” 

“He was killed. Murdered right in front of her. You can’t tell her I said any of this.” 

“I promise. Who killed him?” 

“The suspect we were chasing. He had killed a bunch of people and we found finally his name. When we got to his house, her husband was tied to a chair in the basement. I feel bad for what happened to him, but he was an asshole, too. He made some choices he shouldn't have.” 

Lexa could not imagine watching someone she loved get murdered in front of her, but just as she went to ask another question Raven’s phone dinged. She looked over at the door. 

“Shit, she’s here,” Raven said. “She can’t know I told you all of that.” 

“I promise,” Lexa repeated. 

Clarke barged into the room. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she noticed James asleep in the other bed. Lexa’s head was spinning as she watched her. Now that she knew a little bit of Clarke’s background, Lexa saw her differently. She wanted to know more. She wanted Clarke to open up to her. But it seemed like Clarke was avoiding being alone with her since she returned to Ohio. 

“Monty found something odd in that picture,” Clarke said. “There’s a little boy in one of the windows.” 

“You think he’s behind all of this?” Lexa asked. 

“It would fit the profile,” Raven said. 

“We’re moving you to another safehouse,” Clarke said. 

“What good will that do?” Lexa asked. “He’ll find me anyway. I might as well have him come to me. How the hell else are we going to catch him?” 

“You don’t have faith in us?” Clarke asked. 

“Of course, I do,” she said. “But my dad will be gone. I won’t have to worry about him getting hurt.” 

“That’s a very stupid idea, Lexa,” Clarke said. 

Raven got up and went into the bathroom. Lexa had a feeling she was giving them privacy. 

“Is it stupider than letting him get away to kill someone else?” Lexa asked. 

“Don’t do that. Don’t twist this. You're asking me to let you be serial killer bait. Like a martyr or something. It'll never happen.” 

Then Lexa remembered what had happened to Clarke’s husband. She did not have all the details, but Lexa wondered if Clarke was thinking of that situation now. Was she comparing that situation to one Lexa could potentially be in? 

“Okay,” Lexa said. “It was a stupid idea. But I would rather not go too far from here. I want to be able to help more. No one tells me anything anymore.” 

“We’re just really busy. It’s not personal.” 

“I never said it was. I just hate feeling useless.” 

“You aren’t.” 

Clarke sat on the edge of the bed. In the light from the lamp, Lexa could see the bags under her eyes. She had never seen Clarke so exhausted. 

“I think that’s the first nice thing you’ve ever said to me,” Lexa said. 

“Don’t get used to it,” Clarke said. 

Lexa opened her mouth to argue, but Clarke was grinning. It was a gorgeous sight. She did her best to forget about the things Raven had mentioned earlier. With Clarke sitting here now, she felt terrible for talking about her behind her back. 

“Clarke, you need sleep,” Lexa said. 

“That’s where I’m headed after I leave here.” 

“If I asked you to stay the night here, would you do it?” 

Clarke glanced over at her dad and then back at the bed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lexa,” she said. 

“To sleep in a bed?” Lexa asked. “What if I promise to make a pillow wall between the two of us?” 

“Let me make a few calls first. I’ll tell Raven that she can go.” 

Lexa nodded. Her chest fluttered. She sat on the other side of the bed as Clarke stood. She stepped out of the room to make her phone calls. Raven exited the bathroom and closed her laptop. 

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Raven said, winking. 

Lexa could only roll her eyes in response. She liked Raven. Lexa had been weary of her at first. They did not get off to the greatest start at the first crime scene. Raven exited the room, too. Lexa heard them talking just outside of the door. 

When Lexa exited the bathroom after changing into her sleep shorts and tank top, Clarke was sitting on the bed once more. She had no idea why Clarke had agreed to this, but Lexa was thankful she had. For some reason, it felt like the last time they would get to spend time alone. The worst part, they were not even alone. 

Clarke unbuttoned her shirt and accepted Lexa’s shorts. This was not the first time she had seen Clarke’s body, and this was the least intimate with her dad in the room, but Lexa was turned on anyway. 

Lexa pulled the comforter back and sat back against the pillow. “Why did you agree to stay the night?” she asked. 

“Lexa, let’s not break everything down, okay?” she asked. “I agreed to it because I’m tired and I don’t want to drive back to my own hotel room.” 

“You’re tired and cranky.” 

Clarke actually chuckled as she slid into bed beside Lexa. She reached over and shut the lamp off. Lexa laid down. Clarke was the one who pulled the covers over them. 

“Do you still want me to put pillows between us?” Lexa asked. 

Clarke turned her head and looked at Lexa through the small amount of light from the streetlamp outside the window. They were both lying on their backs, staring at each other for a while. 

“I think I’ll survive without it,” Clarke said. “Goodnight, Lexa.” 

Lexa smiled to herself as she turned on her side and away from Clarke. A few moments later, Lexa felt freezing cold feet slip between her own warm thighs. Despite the urge to push them away, Lexa smiled. 


	8. Chapter 8

An  alarm was going off on the other side of the hotel room wall. Lexa barely opened her eyes to see it was still dark outside. She started to move to get more comfortable, but there was something heavy holding her down. Lexa never slept on her back. As she woke, she remembered who was sleeping in the bed with her. 

Lexa was scared to open her eyes. She feared that it would be someone else lying on top of her. There was no chance that it was Clarke Griffin. But when Lexa looked down, it was Clarke’s blonde hair she saw splayed out on her own chest. She wondered if Clarke would wake from the sound of her heart pounding in her chest. 

Lexa closed her eyes once more. She did not want to risk waking Clarke with her movements. The woman had obviously not slept for days. Lexa’s adrenaline was too high to fall back to sleep, but she pretended to be anyway. As  deceiving as it was, Lexa wanted to drag this moment out for as long as she could. She glanced over at the other bed to find her father still asleep, too. 

With Clarke’s warm body against her own and the security of having her father in the same room, Lexa almost felt happy. She wanted to. It was not every day that she would get to hold Clarke in bed. In fact, this was the first time it had ever happened. Lexa was aware that it could be the last. Last night, she had felt the intensity of the situation as if it would be their last chance to spend any time together. She still felt the same way this morning. Something compelled her to press her lips to the top of Clarke’s head and kiss her there. Clarke’s smell was intoxicating. 

Lexa wondered when it was that she had fallen in love with Clarke Griffin. If she had not been in love with her before, she would be now. Clarke was soft and vulnerable like this. 

It was not long before Clarke began to stir. She startled when she realized how she was lying on Lexa’s body. Clarke sat up and grabbed her glasses from the nightstand. Lexa pretended to sleep for a moment longer before opening them. She watched Clarke run a hand through her hair and rub her eyes. 

The feeling of finality overcame her once more. Lexa’s hand moved to rest at the base of Clarke’s spine where her shirt had ridden up to expose her back. She expected Clarke to flinch away and stand up, but she did not move away. Clarke looked down at Lexa still on the pillow. She  grinned and then bit on her bottom lip to control it.  Lexa was about to pull her hand away when Clarke laid down once more. She rested her head on Lexa’s shoulder. 

Lexa felt the urge to say something. She wanted to, but she did not. Clarke would run the second she tried pushing it. This was enough. One of Clarke’s legs moved between her own. Normally, this would be a sexual move, but her father was lying ten feet from them. Lexa turned her head, moved Clarke’s hair back from her face, and kissed her forehead. They laid in silence for five more minutes before Clarke’s phone rang. 

Clarke grabbed it from the nightstand, put it to her ear, and answered. By the time Clarke was out of the bed and on her way to the bathroom, she was back to agent mode. Lexa smiled to herself. She was not crazy after all and that felt  damn good.

* * *

“I promise to come  get you the second I can,” Lexa said. 

Raven handed James' bag to one of the agents who was flying in the private jet with him. James did not want to go, but he understood. He was, of course, terrified of his daughter dying, but he had not said those exact words. Lexa had a feeling that he was avoiding the words ‘dead’ and ‘murdered’ because it would make them a real possibility. 

The same feeling Lexa had this morning returned. Lexa felt like she was never going to see her dad again. It was scary as hell, but she could not let her dad know how terrified she truly was. James would insist on staying to protect her. Her dad had protected her all her life. Now was Lexa’s turn to protect him. Having him stay here would only distract Lexa from finding the man who was terrorizing her. Lexa had to put an end to it one way or another.

“You’ll call me?” James asked.

“Every chance I can,” she promised. “I love you, daddy.”

Lexa wrapped her arms around him. He was skinnier than he had ever been which only made her worry more. There was too much to worry about right now. She did not have the capacity to add her dad’s weight to the list. It would have to wait. He would eat better than ever in the protection of the federal agents. They had plenty of resources and money to buy him whatever food he wanted.

“I love you too, Peanut,” James said. He kissed her cheek and squeezed her one more time before letting her go.

Raven wrapped a hand around her arm as the agents walked her dad to the plane. Lexa watched until he was out of sight. They stood there as the plane took off. Lexa did not realize she was crying until tears ran down her neck. She wiped them away and, by the time she looked back up at the plane, it was even smaller in the sky. Never in her life had she and her father been so far apart. Lexa just hoped she would see him again. 

* * *

“Mommy?” Aden asked.

“I’m here, baby,” Clarke said. “Sorry. I got distracted for a second. What happened at school today again?”

“We got a class pet,” he said. “It’s a bunny.”

“That’s  very sweet, Aden,” she said. 

Clarke held her finger up at Wells and pointed at her phone. He had just entered her hotel room. Instead of waiting for her to get off the phone, he laid the folder down on the table. She flipped it open. Inside was a list of the kids’ names from the orphanage. 

“When are you coming home, mommy?” Aden asked. 

“I’ll be home for your birthday party next weekend,” she said. “Hopefully I'll be home before that, but I'll definitely be there for your birthday. It's not every day that my baby turns seven.”

“I’m not a baby,” Aden said, giggling. “Pappy even lets me work in the garage with him.”

“No power tools,” she said.

“I know,” he whined. “Pappy won’t let me do that either.”

“I’m sorry, baby, but mommy has to go now,” Clarke said. 

“Okay, mommy,” Aden said. “Want me to get Grammy or Pappy?”

“Put Grammy on the phone,” she said. “But first... Aden, I love you so much.”

“Love you, too,” he said. 

Clarke would hear him running through the house to give his grandmother the phone. Aden said something to her before Clarke heard her mom’s voice. 

“Hi, sweetheart,” Abby said.

“I’ll be home for his birthday,” Clarke said. “I’m not missing it no matter what. We just made a huge break in the case, so hopefully things go smoothly from now on.”

“That’s great,” she said. “Aden really misses you.”

“I miss him, too,” she said. “I miss him so much, but I’m not risking him coming here. I'm pretty sure our suspect is watching us all the time.”

“That’s terrifying, Clarke,” Abby said.

“He isn’t after me, mom,” she said. “And we’re protecting who he’s after. It'll be okay.”

“I wish you would think about finding a new job,”  Abby said. “Your son needs you  _ alive _ .”

“Mom, this is the job I’m good at,” she said. “I told you that I would think about it. Every time I start to think about moving departments, some case comes up that needs me.”

“More than Aden needs you?”

“Can we please talk about this later?”

“Fine,” Abby said. “Call me tonight and let me know you’re alive.”

“I will, mom. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Clarke flipped through the folder after hanging up the phone call. The list of names should have excited her because they were closer than they had ever been to catching the killer. But once adopted, most of the kids’ names were changed by their new parents. But they had a theory that the killer was never adopted.

“We need to go through every one of these names,” Clarke said, entering Wells’ hotel room. 

Raven was now sitting on the bed. “I’m doing that now,” she said without looking up from her computer. “I’m dividing the list into adopted kids, nonadopted kids, and runaways.”

“How many ran away?” Clarke asked.

“A lot so far,” she replied. 

“Lexa doesn’t remember anything since she was so young, but she said it was a terrible place,” Clarke said. 

“Speaking of Lexa, her dad landed safely,” Raven said.

“That’s great,” Clarke said. “I’ll go over there tonight and tell her what we found.”

“Sure,” Wells said. “And you’ll be back tomorrow morning?”

Clarke looked up from the folder and glared at him. “No, I’ll be back tonight,” she said.

“Aww, Clarke,” Raven said. “Stay the night with her. She needs protection.”

“Don’t do that, Raven,” she begged. “Lexa can protect herself and I’m sure there are plenty of guys there to do it, too.”

Clarke sat on the bed and pretended as though they had said nothing. She was tasked with marking out the children who had died for any reason. That was the easiest task out of them all since Wells was researching the  children's new names. All Clarke had to do was look for their name in the obituary database. 

“This will take a while,” Raven said. “You can do the same thing from anywhere.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Clarke asked.

“I think she’s suggesting you sort the list at Lexa’s,” Wells said. 

“Very subtle,” Raven said to him.

* * *

Lexa felt like a prisoner. The room Raven set her up in did not have windows. She was distracting herself by flipping through her family photo album. It made her feel better to see her mom and dad in them. They were always smiling when Lexa was with them. Before she knew it, Lexa was crying. It was the second time she had cried today which had to be a  record in her adult life. She had no idea when she became so sensitive, but her dad was no longer around to keep her company.

If her mother was alive, she would know exactly what to say right now. Hannah would tell that, of course, everything was going to be okay. She had said those  exact words on the day she died. Things had not been okay after that for a long time. 

Lexa felt the same dread today that she felt on the day her mom died. It must be because she sent her father away. She already missed him like crazy. Lexa could not think about why else she felt this way. 

“Lexa?” Clarke said. 

Lexa looked up from the pictures and closed the book on the table when she heard Clarke’s voice. “In here,” she said.

Clarke looked even paler under the florescent lights. Her blonde hair was  practically glowing. Lexa was sure she was seeing things from being cooped up in these tiny places, but Clarke Griffin looked like an angel. 

“Raven and Wells are sorting through the list of kids to find the boy in the window,” Clarke said. “I came to make sure this place is as miserable as Raven described.”

“It’s worse,” Lexa said.

Clarke laughed softly. “At least this one isn’t being videotaped constantly,” she said.

Lexa’s stomach fluttered with nerves. There was more to Clarke’s tone than a simple fact. “It isn’t?” Lexa asked.

“No,” Clarke said. 

Lexa stood and placed the photo album back into her bag. She walked over to her. Clarke's blue eyes were darker than Lexa had ever seen them. The lighting did not help. Clarke licked her lips and glanced down at Lexa’s mouth. Her fears disappeared as she stared at Clarke’s face. 

“When all this is over...” Lexa started. She cupped Clarke’s cheek. “Can I ask you on a proper date?”

“Lexa, I... we live so far apart,” she said. “How would that work?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lexa said. “We can figure it out. I'll spend weekends with  you, and you can visit me.”

“I can’t,” Clarke said. 

“Why not?” she asked.

“I have a son,” Clarke said. “He’s six. He'll be seven next weekend and that’s really the only time I get to spend with him when I’m not traveling. I won’t be able to give  you  any time.”

Lexa frowned, but she understood. “Well... we can figure something out,” she said. 

“Maybe,” Clarke said. “But we do have tonight.”

Before Lexa could reply, Clarke kissed her. It meant even more now because she knew Clarke liked her. It might seem stupid, but the kiss was even sweeter. She placed her hands under Clarke’s thighs and pressed her back to the wall. Clarke moaned as her legs locked around Lexa’s waist. 

Clarke never seemed soft outside of the bedroom, but right now she seemed mushy enough to mold. Her thighs were hard and strong around Lexa and there was not a single pound of fat on her body. Lexa wondered when she had time to work out. She must fit them in like Lexa did. 

Lexa let her down and led the woman to the couch. It was closer than the bed. She straddled Clarke’s thighs and grabbed her cheeks in another kiss. 

“Promise me one date,” Lexa said, breathlessly.

Clarke pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. “I promise,” she whispered. “I do want that, Lexa. I... I do like you. I’m sorry that I haven’t always been... good to you.”

“We can talk about that on our date,” she said, smiling.

The sound of Clarke’s laugh made her happy and Lexa wanted to hear it forever.


	9. Chapter 9

Clarke felt confident that she would find the man whom she had been hunting for years. Never had she felt so sure that they would catch him than she did right now. Raven and Wells had finalized their lists and police officers around the world were visiting the homes of those few names left on the list that they could not nail down an alibi for. Two agents were bringing Lexa in now to go through all the pictures to see if any stood out. 

Their night together had been perfect. Lexa had taken her time on Clarke and she had returned the favor. It had been different than any time before. Maybe it was because they had agreed on trying things out for real once they caught this guy. Now, they were so close Clarke could feel it. She would go home, hug Aden for a week straight, and figure out a way to make things work with Lexa. 

Never had Clarke imagined that she would be dating a cop. Her husband had, luckily, been an accountant and was able to be home with Aden. He worked from home which made things easy. After his death, Clarke had only taken a few weeks off work. She found a decent daycare and her parents agreed to help. She wondered how Aden would feel about his mom dating. Clarke needed to figure out a way to explain it to him before she returned home for his party. 

Raven entered the conference room. Her face was red, and she was out of breath as if she had been running for her life. Clarke stood from the chair. As she met Raven’s eyes, dread filled her. Something terrible had happened. 

“Clarke,” Raven said, breathlessly. 

“Tell me what happened,” she said. Her voice was low with anger and fear. 

“They found the agents dead in the car,” Raven said. “Lexa was gone.” 

There was a ringing in her ears. Her brain felt like it was going to explode, and she was nauseous. This could not be happening. This could not be happening _again_. It had been her idea to bring Lexa here. It was her fault she had been taken. If Lexa was going to die or already was dead, it would be all Clarke’s fault. Finn had been killed because of Clarke, too. 

“Take me to the car,” Clarke said. 

Clarke’s hands were shaking as she climbed into the passenger seat. Raven followed two other SUVs as they pulled out of the parking lot. Kane and Lincoln were in one and agents were driving Monty in the other. Lincoln had been a mess by the time Clarke walked outside. She could hear him asking question after question to the officers who found them. Apparently, the cops had been on patrol when they found an abandoned car on the side of an empty road. 

They rode in silence for the most part which gave Clarke too much time to think. Clarke had been so stupid to fall for someone she was supposed to protect. There was no way she could have predicted this, but Clarke had been so careful about not getting attached to Lexa when she first met her. 

_Three years earlier..._

_The police station was smaller than Clarke had been expecting. The Holmstead case was a mysterious one in the fact that it went unsolved until now. With the suspect in custody, it should be a breeze. Clarke was looking forward to being out of town. Everything in D.C. reminded her of Finn. It had only been a year and Clarke still lived with the guilt of his death. It was slowly eating her alive. No amount of therapy would take the pain away. She was not sad for herself but for Aden._

_Clarke and Finn had been separated for a year leading up to his death. They lived in the same house, but he slept in the guest room. Aden had only been two. Clarke was not ready to split custody of him. Aden was too young to be away from either of them when he did not have to be. Clarke had not minded living with Finn. He was a good father to their son, and he treated her well enough. But now he was gone. Clarke had put his murderer away, but she would never forget the look in his eyes before he died._

_For months after his death, Clarke dreamed of his death every night. She hated sleeping. The only thing that helped was Aden. He missed his father so badly that he wanted to sleep with her most nights. She would hold him and cry after he fell asleep._

_The conference room door opened and Clarke, begrudgingly, looked up from the table full of her papers. She saw the two officers through her glasses but pushed them to the top of her head to be sure she was truly seeing the person she was. The woman beside her was attractive, but the woman who came into the room was downright gorgeous. She was breathtaking. Clarke had not dated a woman since before she was married, but she suddenly missed it._

_Raven liked to tell everyone the story about meeting her girlfriend. She said there was a moment when she saw her across the room and, when their eyes met, Raven knew she was ‘the one.’ Clarke had always thought it was dumb...until now. She met this woman’s eyes and all her thoughts vanished from her mind._

_Clarke locked her heart away. She could not let her mind play tricks on her. This feeling came from losing her husband tragically and_ _loneliness_ _. Something about this woman in her police uniform, long brown hair, and smoldering looks did things to Clarke that Finn_ never _had._

_“Great, you’re here,” Clarke said. “I need some case files. Could the two of you go down to storage and grab these boxes for me?”_

_Once the two of them were gone, the feeling died down a bit. (But Clarke would remember that moment for months after returning home and get off on it.)_

_Spending the week in Ohio was eye-opening. She saw Lexa almost every day. It gave her hope that she would love again. After watching her husband died so painfully, Clarke thought it would be_ _impossible_ _. How could she put someone else through that? But maybe one day she would be able to date someone and not imagine them being murderer every second of the day._

_Clarke had not been on a date since Finn’s death and had no intention to. She was not ready. Anytime she thought someone was attractive, Clarke would imagine them strapped to that rusty chair in the basement. She saw their hands and feet tied._

_(Clarke would not go on a date after meeting Lexa either.)_

_A few days later, Lexa was the last one at the station with her. Clarke wondered if there were cameras in this room. Thankfully, there did not_ seem _to be any. Lexa barged into the room after finding her notes gone. She felt Lexa’s presence without hearing her._

_“What do you need, Woods?” Clarke asked without looking at her._

_“You stole my notes,” she said._

_“I looked through everyone’s,” Clarke said. “Yours were the only ones I could halfway understand. I'm honestly not sure how anyone in this department solves anything.”_

_That was an understatement. Lexa's notes stood out from the rest. The rumors around here were true. Lexa Woods was born to be a police officer. Her father had taught her everything she needed to know to be the best in the department._

_“You know what? I’m sick of your shit,” Lexa said._

_Lexa started grabbing her notes pages from the table. She did not care, not really, because she no longer needed them, but Clarke enjoyed how riled up Lexa got when mad. Clarke grabbed her wrist and found Lexa’s arms very easy to maneuver. It was impossible that Lexa was honestly trying to get the papers from Clarke._

_“I’m keeping these,” Clarke said, teasing her._

_When Clarke turned her_ _back and_ _she was pressed to her front, Lexa’s arms were around her. Clarke held the paper as far away from Lexa as she could. She was smiling to herself when she turned back around to face Lexa. There was anger in her green eyes but there was something else: arousal. Clarke’s own body responded to Lexa’s expression alone and they were kissing before Clarke could stop herself._

Clarke walked onto the scene before she could change her mind. There was no point in dragging it out. It would only make things harder. She could not think of this any differently than other cases. Imagining Lexa sitting in the back of the car and watching the two men get shot was heartbreaking. Lexa must have thought that she was going to be next. Clarke wondered if Lexa thought of her in those moments. It was a selfish thought. 

For some reason, Clarke had thought seeing the car where Lexa had been taken from would give her a feeling of whether she was alive or not. Clarke had hoped her ‘the one’ feelings gave her some kind of connection to Lexa. All she could do was believe that Lexa was still alive. Perhaps the suspect would ask for ransom. At least then they would have a chance of getting her back. The odds were against them though. Most ransom kidnappings ended tragically. 

Nothing seemed odd about the backseat of the SUV where she was taken from. The two dead agents were still in the front seat. If Clarke could get in the car without ruining the forensic scene, she would have. Clarke wanted to understand what Lexa felt as she sat there. But that was for her own sanity. It would bear no importance to the case or to finding her alive. 

“They’re searching the woods now, but we haven’t found drag marks or anything that suggests a struggle,” Raven said. “It’s odd. It's almost like she went with him willingly.” 

“Why would she do that?” Clarke asked aloud. “Surely she would fight him. She’s strong. She knows how to handle weapons.” 

“I’m sure he had a gun aimed at her,” Raven said. “But you’re right. Surely, she’s stronger than he is.” 

“If you were him, what would you say to get me to get out of the car willingly?” she asked. 

Raven thought about it for a moment. “First, I would take advantage of you being shocked from watching the other guys die,” she said. “I would have a gun on you, and I would threaten to kill you and your family. It's what they all do.” 

“Her father,” Clarke said. “But Lexa knows he has no way of getting to James.” 

“What’s something else that he would use?” Raven asked. 

There was one other thing that came to mind, but her chest ached just to imagine it. Surely Lexa would know that Clarke could handle herself. How would the suspect know about their relationship anyway? He most definitely used something else if he threatened her at all. 

“Monty, find something,” Clarke said as he approached. 

“Got it, boss,” he said, saluting her with two fingers. 

“I’m going to her house,” Clarke said. “There has to be something else about her adoption or the orphanage we’re missing.” 

Raven followed her to the car but grabbed Clarke’s shoulders before she could get into the driver’s seat. “Lexa isn’t Finn, okay?” she asked. “Nothing about this is your fault.” 

“I know,” Clarke said. 

“No, you don’t,” she said. “Finn’s death wasn’t your fault and this thing with Lexa isn’t either.” 

“Raven, we don’t have time to stand here and chit chat,” Clarke said. “If we don’t find her soon, we probably never will.” 

Lexa could barely breathe. She tried pulling her hands apart, but it was useless. Her hands were already numb in the bindings. She thought it was rope, but she could not be sure. It felt like she had been tied up for hours. Realistically, it could not have been more than ten minutes or she would be dead. Lexa heard the car trunk open. The man had shoved her into it after tying her hands and blindfolding her. Air filled the tiny space. Lexa breathed it in gratefully. Lexa realized then how little she appreciated oxygen before now. 

Sweaty hands were grabbing her and pulling her out of the trunk. She stumbled over her own feet as he led her somewhere. With the blindfold over her eyes, Lexa had no idea where she was. The ground beneath her felt like gravel. It was hard to walk on. It did not help that he was practically dragging her behind himself. 

The news that she had been taken was going to kill her father. Lexa hoped that no one told him. He was safe. Lincoln would make sure James was taken care of if something was to happen. He promised Lexa at the very beginning that he would take care of finding a good facility or retirement home for him. 

Lexa would give anything to be wearing her uniform and patrolling her district with Lincoln. She felt invincible in her uniform. Her father had always told her that she could be anything she wanted. He said that she was meant to be more than a regular police officer, but nothing had ever made her happier. No other job could ever make her as happy as she was being a ‘regular police officer.’ 

But now it could all be over. Lexa was aware of that fact. Somehow, she had accepted it. She had chosen her own destiny. Lexa had chosen to go with him. He warned her of some upcoming stairs. A squeaky door opened, and he was suddenly pulling her down a flight of stairs. He pulled her blindfold off. Unsurprisingly, the room was empty. Lexa was relieved that he had lied to her. It was heartbreaking, but she could not take the chance of him telling the truth. 


	10. Chapter 10

Clarke pulled out everything from Lexa's closets. She did not feel the least bit bad about going through Lexa's and James' things. This was for Lexa’s life. It was not like Clarke was doing this because she was nosy. They needed something. They needed to know who had taken Lexa. Even after they found a name, they would have to find where he had taken her. It felt impossible. Clarke was trying to be positive, but every minute that passed was a minute Lexa was gone. 

There were so many boxes of pictures and papers and receipts that it would be impossible for Clarke and Raven to go through them all without help. They tried to sort through the ones that looked relevant. Raven had tried multiple times to ask how Clarke was feeling. That did not matter right now. They would have plenty of time to discuss and reflect when they found Lexa. Clarke just hoped she was alive. 

After searching through all the closets and cabinets, Clarke began rooting through the boxes they found. Most were filled with useless garbage that her father had kept from his old house. But at the bottom of one lie a shoe box. Clarke lifted it carefully and placed it on the dining room table. Inside were letters and pictures. 

“Start reading,” Clarke said, handing her a stack. 

Clarke could tell the letters were old and had been read many times. The one in her hand was addressed to James and Hannah Woods. There was no return address. 

_Dear_ _Mr._ _and_ _Mrs._ _Woods,_

_You do not know me. I have written so many letters to you that I could never send. I am sending this to you because it may be the last chance I have. You adopted my baby. I know that you never expected to hear from me, but I begged one of the employees at the orphanage to give me your address. Please do not be mad at them. I would never show up at your house or try to find her. I do not want to take her from you. I do not want her to know I am sending this right now. In fact, I am thankful she has two parents who can keep her safe. That parent is not me and definitely not her father._

_I know you probably have a lot of feelings about me. Maybe you are upset that I could leave my baby on the stairs of an orphanage. Maybe you are grateful that I did because it meant you got her. But I think you probably feel both of those things. I do not know your story. There is a reason you were at that orphanage and it is none of my business to know why._

_Honestly, I know nothing about you except your names and_ _address_ _. I know you are better parents to her than I could ever be. Not because I did not want her. I did. I desperately did, but I had to protect her. I should not be telling you this, but her father is a very dangerous man. I am so thankful that he does not know of her existence._

_I never gave her a name because I always knew I would have to give her up. I am sure the name you gave her is perfect. I know she will be beautiful and stong and amazing. Finding out I was pregnant gave me the courage to leave her dad. I had always wanted to, but I was too scared. It was worth the risk knowing she would have a chance to live._

_I hope you can protect her. I know you love her. Maybe one day she will know that her birth mother gave her up for good reasons. I wanted my baby to live. She deserves the world and I hope that you will give that to her._

_A.W._

“Raven,” Clarke said after she finished reading the letter. “Her birth mother wrote to her. We need to find out who her biological father is. He’s the one who has her, Raven.” 

“What? Why do you think that?” she asked. 

Clarke handed Raven the letter and started going through the others that were in the box. Obviously, Lexa had no ideas these letters existed. Did James know? Surely, he would have told them about these letters if he did know. Perhaps Hannah had kept them a secret for a reason they would never know. 

“You may be right, Clarke,” Raven said. 

Raven laid the letter back on the table and helped Clarke read through the rest. None of the others seemed to from anyone with the same initials. They might never have known who her father was if it was not for one newspaper clipping. At the very bottom of the shoebox, folded and tucked under one of the cardboard edges, was a paper that blended in with the box. 

The headline read: DANTE WALLACE, CEO OF _Cerberus_ , ARRESTED IN MURDER OF ESTRANGED WIFE, CONFESSES TO TWENTY MURDERS 

The article was written a week after the date on the letter. Dante Wallace's wife’s name was Allison Wallace. 

* * *

Lexa was tired, dirty, and hungry. The man who took her from the car had not returned and she had no way of knowing how long she had been tied to a pole in the basement. Her arms were numb. Her shoulders were in so much pain that she doubted they would ever feel normal again. There was no way of knowing who the man was or what he wanted since he had a piece of fabric tied around her face to keep her from screaming. 

It was even scarier now that the blindfold was covering her eyes again. She pulled her legs up against her stomach. The squeaking sound of the basement door opening was loud. Lexa had been sitting in silence for hours. The sound of footsteps descending the stairs was scarier. She wished that she could see his face. If she was going to die right now, she wanted to be able to look him in the eyes. 

“If only he could see you now,” he said softly. 

His voice was closer to her ear than she expected. She tried to talk, weakly, but it was impossible with the thing in her mouth. Her mouth was so dry that she doubted anything would come out anyway. Lexa had no idea who the man was referring to. 

“I have waited so long for this,” he said, humming. 

Lexa flinched when she felt, presumably, his nose and mouth against her cheek. She tried moving away from him, but she could not go far with her arms tied behind her and around a metal pole. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. 

“Finally,” he said. “After all that practice.” 

Lexa heard his footsteps ascend the stairs. Her head fell forward so her chin was against her chest. She thought about her mom in hopes that it would comfort her. The idea of an afterlife was not something she particularly believed in. Thinking about seeing her mom again was a nice thought. She was not ready to die. She wanted to be there for her dad. She wanted to have a family of her own. 

This experience was going to change her life. It would influence every decision she made in the future. She would not risk having a child if there was any chance the child would be in danger. When thinking of a child, Lexa thought of Clarke. Clarke must know by now that she was missing. 

Lexa must have fallen asleep because she awoke to the feeling of a straw being pushed into her mouth and her eyes still covered. Despite her fear of the liquid, she drank it desperately. 

* * *

“You’re saying that Lexa’s biological father is Dante Wallace?” Wells said. 

Clarke could tell that he did not believe that. “Why else would her mom have a cutout of the article hidden away in a shoebox?” she asked. “The person who wrote the letter had the same initials as Allison Wallace. What do you make of that?” 

Wells carefully lifted the letter, now inside a plastic bag, from the table. He read it quickly. He sighed as he laid it back down. 

“I would assume that Dante Wallace is Lexa’s biological father,” Wells said. “You know what that means.” 

“We have to go talk to him,” Clarke said. “I’ll let them know we want to fly out to pay Mr. Wallace a visit.” 

“We can stop in D.C. on the way home,” he said. “You can see Aden.” 

“No,” Clarke said quickly. “I’m not risking it. He could be watching us or something. I don’t want anyone to know where he is.” 

Wells understood. Raven insisted on going with them, but Clarke begged her to stay. If Clarke had to leave, Raven was the person she trusted the most to continue the investigation in Ohio. Raven had to stay in town in case Lexa miraculously returned. Clarke only trusted the cops on the police force because Lexa did. Something still felt off about them. 

“Plane’s landing in thirty minutes,” Clarke said, looking up from her phone. “We should head out.” 

Kane looked out the window of his squad car. He had just arrived from the scene where Monty and the rest of the forensics team finished their investigation. Raven could get him caught up on what they found. 

Clarke wanted so badly to wrap her fingers around Dante Wallace’s neck until he confessed the truth. If the letter was true, he may not know that Lexa is his daughter. But this had something to do with Dante Wallace. Lexa’s kidnapping was because of him. 

Monty dropped them off at the airport so he could take the SUV back. He informed them of his findings in the car which was almost nothing. He found tire marks that they are running through the database now. It was a minor detail, but it was something. Of course, he probably dumped the car by now. 

The plane ride was too long in Clarke’s opinion. It was a small, private jet that Indra sent. When they climbed on board, they found the woman sitting in one of the seats. Indra had followed the investigation while they were in Ohio, but she had not visited the state herself. She had faith that Clarke, Raven, and Wells could handle it themselves. But things were different now. 

Dante Wallace had been arrested twenty years ago for the murder of his wife. They had not been living in the same home at the time. Allison Wallace had requested a divorce not too long before her death. Clarke was not sure of all the details, but Allison had kept a diary during her marriage to Dante. Her diaries had been found in the apartment she died in. 

“I was at the scene when they found her,” Indra said. “She had at least ten diaries hidden away and almost every entry mentioned something about Dante scaring her. She knew what he was. She often wrote about whether or not her husband could kill someone.” 

“Poor woman,” Clarke said. 

Clarke was flipping through pictures of Allison and Dante together. At one time, the two of them had been a power couple in New York. They had everything: wealth, love, influence. Nothing was as it had seemed between the two of them. 

“You’re not going to talk to him, Griffin,” Indra said. 

“What? Why not?” she asked. 

“Because I’m not letting your feelings for this cop get in the middle of my investigation,” Indra said. 

Clarke glared at Wells. He held up his hands, defensively. “I didn’t tell her,” he said. 

“He didn’t have to,” Indra said. “I had no clue either. If I did, I wouldn’t have assigned you to this case at all.” 

“I’m not going back to D.C. until we finish this, Indra,” Clarke said. 

“If you slip up once because of your emotions, you’re done,” she said, firmly. 

“Fine,” she said. 

* * *

Dante Wallace was even slimier in person than he was in the pictures Clarke had studied on the way here. The prison was loud with shouting and some threw things as they walked by. She was used to this behavior by the inmates and she was so distracted this time that she barely noticed. Dante was in a cell by himself. He only had a cot, a small table and one chair. There was a toilet and sink on the other wall. 

The man looked up from the newspaper he was reading when the police officer unlocked his cell door. They cuffed his hands and ankles before leading him out of the cell. The way Dante stared at Clarke made chills run up her spine. There were plenty of serial killers Clarke had interviewed and been alone with. But Clarke was thankful she did not have to be alone with Dante Wallace. 

“Mr. Wallace, I’m Special Agent Forrester,” Indra said. “This is Agent Jaha and Agent Griffin.” 

Dante’s eyes paid special attention to Clarke. She was wearing a nice grey pantsuit and he eyes trailed her entire body. It was odd to think of him as Lexa’s biological father. Lexa looked more like James than she did Dante. 

“I have a feeling that you know why we are here,” Indra said. 

Dante shrugged. “No idea,” he said. 

The three of them could tell he was lying because of the smirk he wore. Clarke glanced back at the two cops guarding the door. She wished they were not here so she could strangle him the way she dreamed of the entire flight. 

“The murders of those women,” Indra said. “Do you know anything about them? They resemble your murders.” 

“Except for the yarn around their finger,” Dante said. 

“Correct,” she said. “Young adopted women.” 

“You know as well as I do that adopted females were not my only victims,” he said. 

“No, but the last ten fit that profile,” she said. 

Dante tried lifting his hand, but the cuffs hit the bottom of the metal table. He was cuffed to the table leg and it was welded to the floor. 

“What changed?” Wells asked. 

Clarke bit the inside of her cheek to keep quiet. Dante could not stop staring at her. She fit his victim profile in the physical sense. Dante Wallace liked young blondes. 

Dante put his hand to his chest. “Must have been a change of heart,” he said. 

Clarke kicked Indra’s foot with her own. When the women looked up, Clarke motioned with her to get up from the seat across from him. Clarke was surprised Indra listened and sat down across from him instead. She sat up straight, so her chest stuck out. His eyes never strayed. It had probably been a long time since he saw any part of a woman’s body. She did not like to use her body for information, but Dante Wallace was an exception. 

“Tell me about Allison,” Clarke said. “Her diaries are the reason you’re in here after all.” 

“I don’t want to talk about her,” he said. “Let’s talk about you. Let me guess... you’re thirty.” 

“Yes, I’m thirty,” she said. “How old was Allison when she died?” 

Dante started right into Clarke’s eyes. He was trying to shock her with his next words. “One child,” he said. 

Clarke held the slight gasp from Wells behind her. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to read his face. She held back her even more intense urges to strangle him. Before Dante could speak again, Clarke pulled the chain holding his hand down until his cheek slammed into the metal table. 

“Speaking of children,” she started, talking through her clenched teeth. “Where are yours?” 

Dante spit specks of blood from his mouth as he laughed. His lip must have started bleeding from the impact. “I like it when they fight back,” he said. 

“Listen to me, you son of a bitch,” she said in his ear. “You can tell us where they are and negotiate a deal or die in that six by six cell.” 

Dante spat more blood from his mouth. She pulled down harder on the chain. He laughed again. Dante had been much easier to read than Clarke had been expecting. 

“Where is Cage?” Wells asked. 

Dante was not going to give his son up easily, if at all. They needed something to give him that would be worthwhile. They were running out of time. Obviously, Dante and Cage had been in contact since his incarceration. 

“We need to get Wallace’s visitor logs,” Wells said. “Would they give us his internet and call logs, too?” 

“Worth a try,” Indra said. “I’ll handle that.” 

Clarke heard the door buzz as she left. She released the chain, so Dante sat up straight again. The fact that Dante knew she had a child scared her. Maybe he was only guessing. Clarke had a feeling Cage had done his research and his fair share of stalking. If she remembered correctly, Dante liked stalking too. 

“If anything happens to her or anyone else, I'll be back here every single day,” Clarke said. “And next time, I’m busting open more than just your lip.” 

Clarke followed Wells toward the door. He nodded at the cops to unlock the door. 

“Cage called not too long ago,” Dante said. His voice echoed in the concrete room. Clarke turned to look at him. “She’s real chivalrous, he said. Women always fall for the kid line.” 

Clarke had to leave the room before she really did kill him. She would never find Lexa from a jail cell. Wells moved so he was standing on the side of the cells. It was unnecessary, but Clarke did not comment. 

“Lexa went without a fight,” Clarke said. “That’s how he did it. He must have told her he was going to kill a kid. Kids don’t fit Cage’s victim profile. He was lying.” 

“I would have made the same choice, Clarke,” Wells said. 

The sun hit their faces as they finally left the prison. 

“Why?” she asked. “Why wouldn’t you fight back? Why would you just let him take you?” 

“Because I couldn’t live with the guilt if he was telling the truth,” he said. “Especially if the guy told me he was going to kill a kid I knew.” 

“Fuck,” Clarke said. She rubbed her eyes harshly. “That’s why Dante knew about my kid.” 

“At least now we know Dante has her,” he said. “We’ll find something, Clarke.” 

Indra came through the doors next holding an armful of paper. “They’re sending us the video files they have of his visitations,” she said. “We can review these on the plane.” 


	11. Chapter 11

Lexa awoke when she was slapped across the face. She must have been asleep for hours because her neck was so stiff and painful when she sat up straight. Her head had fallen forward in her sleep. She suddenly realized the blindfold was gone. The basement was dark and drafty. There were no windows to let in any outside light, but she could see a face close to your own. 

When she was sitting in the back of that SUV, Lexa had been terrified. The men in the front seats had no warning for the bullets that killed them. Lexa was too shocked to move for a moment or two. By the time Lexa came to her senses, this same man was pointing a gun at her head and telling her to get out of the car. She had not wanted to go so willingly but he lied. The bigger part of her knew it was a lie, but there was a slight possibility he was telling the truth. It would have been almost impossible to find Clarke’s son if this man was dead. 

“Morning, sis,” he said with a creepy grin. 

He reached forward and Lexa flinched. It made him chuckle. The fabric tied around her face was removed and he tossed it to the side. It landed in the dirt. Lexa knew it was not important, but she really hoped he did not put it back into her mouth now. 

“Who are you?” Lexa asked. 

The man smiled as he squatted down in front of her. Lexa stared right back. She could not let him intimidate her into breaking. Her father had taught her better than that. If she could survive the slow death of her mother, Lexa could survive this. 

“I’m your big brother,” he said. 

“You’re my what?” Lexa asked. “I don’t have siblings. I’m sure you know that.” 

“That you knew of,” he said. 

Lexa had no idea what to think. How was she supposed to know he was telling the truth? The man had lied about everything so far. Lexa was too weak to ask all the questions she wanted to. She doubted she would want to speak even if she had full strength. 

“Don’t you want to know why I did it?” he asked. 

“No,” Lexa replied. 

The man’s elbow connected with the underside of her chin. The back of her head hit the metal pole she was cuffed to. Blood filled her mouth immediately. She turned her head and spit on the concrete floor. It was bright red against the grey. She thought of all the crime scenes she had been to. Never did Lexa think she would be in a situation like this one. All those victims spent their last moments alive terrified. 

Lexa snapped out of the depressing thought. She was not going to die. This greasy man was not going to kill her. Somehow, Lexa would get out. She would fly out to see her dad. They could go back to sitting on the porch in the evenings and drink his favorite decaf coffee. She would figure out how to handle his dementia episodes. 

_Clarke_. Lexa could not believe how things had changed between them so quickly. Clarke had a child. They lived in Washington D.C. and Lexa lived in Ohio. How was she supposed to uproot her father’s life for a relationship that may not work out? Lexa loved the people she worked with. Lincoln was like a brother to her. 

A nagging thought entered her mind. Lexa had been pushing it away since arriving here. What if Clarke had been in on this the entire time? What if this had all been a setup? What if Clarke had preyed on Lexa’s crush? Lexa was obviously exhausted. She was thinking crazy things. Clarke would not do that to her. _Right_? 

“Alexandria _Woods_ ,” the man said with venom in his tone. “What’s your middle name?” 

“What is _your_ name?” she asked. 

“I’m glad you asked,” he said. “But I can’t tell you that yet. I need to make sure you aren’t bugged first.” 

Lexa spit once more. “I’m not,” she said. “Why would they bug me? They had no idea I was going to be taken.” 

The man laughed. “Right,” he said. “Right. No idea.” 

Perhaps Clarke _did_ have something to do with this. 

* * *

The flight back to Ohio was long and stressful. Clarke could barely focus on the computer screen. She paused the security footage. Her legs and back ached. Clarke’s brain felt like it was about to explode. Since finding out about Lexa’s disappearance, her anxiety had not calmed. It had only worsened as they found more information. 

Clarke regretted their interactions. She had been so caught up in her grief and guilt that she pushed Lexa away. Clarke now saw how unfair she had been all this time. There were no amount of apologies adequate to make up for everything, but Clarke had to find her so she could try. 

Then Clarke thought about how selfish it was that she was thinking about her own feelings instead of Lexa’s safety. She could not do anything right anymore. Watching Finn die had broken her. It had turned her into the shell of the person she was before it happened. Clarke used to have work boundaries. She would leave at a reasonable hour to be home with her family for dinner. Clarke would argue her travel schedule. She used to be home on most weekends. Things were different now. It was another thing she felt guilty about. The list was endless. 

“Have you found anything?” Clarke asked. 

Wells looked up from the papers he was reading and shrugged. “Doesn’t seem like Cage visited,” he said. 

“How is that possible?” she asked. 

“Because he had someone do it for him.” 

“Who?” 

“Someone named Bentley Johnson.” 

“Is that a pseudonym?” 

“Not possible. They require driver’s licenses to check in there.” 

“Is it possible that this Bentley Johnson person is the person who took her?” 

“Get Raven on the phone. I have a question for her.” 

Clarke hit Raven’s name on her speed dial and put it on speaker. Indra had headphones in as she watched security footage on the other side of the plane. When Raven’s voice filled the small space, Clarke only felt a little better. 

“On those lists, wasn't there someone named Bentley Johnson?” Wells asked. 

“Yes, on the list of kids who transferred from the orphanage to a group home,” Raven said. “Why?” 

Clarke had no idea what to think. Dante Wallace had acted as thought his son was the one who kidnapped Lexa. She had read all truths in his expression. Cage had to be involved. He was the one who had Lexa now. 

“Bentley was someone roped into this,” Clarke said. “Cage must have been sending him in to see Dante.” 

“We don’t know that for certain, Clarke,” Raven said. “Just because we want something to be true doesn’t mean it is.” 

“Raven, this is more than a hunch. Everything is pointing to Cage being his father’s copycat killer,” Wells said. “You should have seen the fun Dante was having when we interviewed him. He loves the attention.” 

“Then he could have been lying about everything,” Raven said. 

“Cage is the one who has her, Raven,” Clarke said. “I’m telling you. Cage is the one we’re looking for.” 

“I’ll find Bentley Johnson and bring him in,” Raven said. “We may have enough to hold him. Monty found blood in the car. Doesn't match Lexa. Monty ran it against Dante’s and found no relation.” 

“What the hell is going on?” Clarke asked. “None of this makes sense!” 

Wells forced her to lay down on the couch for the rest of the trip. He kept saying that Clarke was going to lose her mind if she did not sleep soon. Clarke had no choice but to listen to him. She grabbed her phone and called her mother. Hearing Aden’s voice calmed her a bit. She missed him so much. 

* * *

Raven rushed down to the coroner’s office the moment Wells hung up the phone. She told Kane where she was going before leaving the police station. Monty promised to stay for as long as she needed. The blood was puzzling. At least now they had a name to go off. This Bentley person was involved somehow. 

If this was a normal case, Raven would be celebrating the new information they received. This case only got more confusing. The blood did not belong to Cage or Dante (not that Raven had thought it would be the latter). It belonged to whoever had taken Lexa from that car and killed the two agents. 

“Monty?” Raven asked. 

“In here,” he said. 

Raven followed his voice and found him in the lab. There was another woman in the room with him. When Raven stepped inside, she was just leaving. They grinned politely at each other. 

“What is the county coroner doing in here?” Raven asked. 

Monty chuckled. “She works here, Rae,” he said. “We’re the visitors, remember?” 

“Right,” she said. “Where’s the blood? Maybe we can match it to this Bentley Johnson when we find him. Lincoln and Anya are searching for him now.” 

Monty walked over to the counter where he kept the case of blood samples. He pulled open the cabinet and reached inside to grab the samples. His hand found nothing. After pulling the cabinet open fully, Monty saw that the entire shelf was empty. The blood sample was gone. 

“Who else has been down here?” Raven asked. 

“Only the coroner,” he said, turning back to face her. “Dr. Tsing.” 

* * *

“How long have I been down here?” Lexa asked. 

Her voice was barely audible even to her own ears. Her throat had never been so dry. The dry, dusty air in the basement only made things worse. Lexa had never had allergies, but the dust made her sneeze constantly. She had a fit so badly a few hours ago that it almost made her physically ill. 

“Only three days,” he said. 

“Why are you dragging this out?’ she asked. “Kill me or let me go.” 

“All in good time,” he said. 

“Killing me or letting me go?” 

“The first option.” 

“I need water or something. _Please_.” 

The man grabbed the cup of water from days ago. He held the straw to her lips. It was the best water she had ever drank. At least her throat and tongue were no longer hurting as badly as they had been. Lexa thought for a moment that none of this mattered anyway since he was going to kill her. She quickly came to her senses. She could not give up hope. There had to be something she could do. She just needed to find the right opportunity. 

* * *

Raven dragged Monty to the elevator. The second the doors closed, she grabbed Monty’s shoulders roughly. Her eyes were wide and crazed. 

“Tsing is working with them,” Raven said. 

“What the hell are you talking about, Raven?” he asked. “Someone probably took them from the cabinet. I've been with her all this time. She's always nice to me.” 

“Let me guess,” she said, releasing him. Raven crossed her arms tightly as she glared. “She always engages you in conversation. She always wants to know how the case is going.” 

“Well, yeah.... but she’s working on the case, too.” 

“Please tell me you didn’t tell Tsing where Lexa was. Please tell me you didn’t tell her anything like that.” 

Monty thought back for a moment and then swallowed loudly. “Raven, I fucked up,” he said. 


	12. Chapter 12

Dr. Tsing was sitting with her legs crossed under the metal table. Her hands were folded in front of her. The interview room Tsing was sitting in was small. Raven, Monty, Kane, and Lincoln watched her from behind the two-way glass. Raven could feel the anger rolling off Lincoln in waves. Clarke and Wells had not returned yet. Raven had no idea what Clarke was going to do when she found out.

“I’m so, so, so sorry,” Monty said. “We were just  talking, and I thought I was helping her get caught up with the case.”

“Forget it,” Lincoln said. His voice was low and angry. 

Raven felt sorry for Monty. He had made a mistake they could have all made had they been in similar situations. How was Monty to know someone in the police department was working for a serial killer? It did not make sense. This woman knew things they needed to find Lexa. 

“Let me go at her,” Lincoln said between clenched teeth.

“No,” Raven said. “We may only get one shot at this, Lincoln. Once Dante finds out, she could be dead. By his hands or her own. No, we can’t waste this. You're too upset and too emotional to interview her. I have an idea. Monty, I think you should do it.”

Lincoln and Monty spoke at the same time. Lincoln asked, “Him?” while Monty said, “Me?”

“Yes,” she said. “Tsing thinks Monty is an idiot.”

“Hey!” Monty argued.

“Tsing thinks that. Not me.”

They looked back at the woman in the interview room. Her face was turned towards them. Instead of a worried frown like they expected, Tsing was grinning. The look scared Raven more than any horror movie ever had. This woman knew more than they had previously believed.

“Monty, if you don’t want to go than I will,” she said. “But we’re wasting too much time.”

Monty took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ll give it a shot. What do you want me to ask?”

“Start with asking where the blood is,” she said. “Maybe we can convince her to give up information for a lessened sentence. Tell her we can probably give her house arrest instead of prison.”

Monty nodded and swallowed thickly. He was nervous. After he left the room, Lincoln sighed and slammed his hand against the wall by the door. Raven felt sorry for him too. This was not looking good for Lexa. 

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Lincoln said. “This is going to kill her dad.”

“I thought you decided not to tell him?” she asked.

“I haven’t told him, but I mean... telling him if she’s dead.” he said.

They looked back to the interview room when the door opened. Monty nervously stepped inside. He waited a moment before turning to face her. His nervousness would probably work to their advantage, Raven thought. 

“Dr. Tsing,” Monty said. “We know you took the blood. Where is it?”

“Poor little Monty,” Tsing said. “I have a hard time believing that you work for the FBI. How did you let the blood disappear?”

“I didn’t let...” he started, angrily. Monty took a deep breath. “I didn’t let the blood disappear. You took it. You played me from the beginning.”

“But you make it so easy.”

“You knew Lexa was in the safehouse. Did you tell Dante? Or maybe you had someone else do it?”

“Why would they ever send you into an interview without training?”

Monty looked toward the glass and then back at the coroner. “You worked with Lexa since she started,” he said. “You were even the coroner when she was just a kid coming here with her dad.”

To anyone else, Tsing would have looked the exact same she had a moment ago. But Raven was trained in behavior analysis. She noticed the small crease between her eyebrows. Tsing felt guilty. Even though Monty could not see her, she nodded with pride.

“Don’t you feel bad?” Monty asked. “You know her father. He's going to have no one if she dies. Just... tell me why you did it. Why did you give her up like that? What did Dante do to get you to help him?”

“I think I’ll ask for my lawyer now.”

“Okay. One more thing. Kane’s willing to exchange house arrest for information. You know you’ll get jail time for this, Dr. Tsing.”

“House arrest? What charges would this be for?”

“I’m not certain, but assisting a kidnapping is a big one. I don’t even know if information will get you out of that one.”

“I’ll tell you what I did with the blood, okay? But you won’t be able to find it. It's been destroyed.”

“Did you give the blood to Bentley Johnson to be destroyed?”

“No, he...” 

Tsing stopped talking. That one word had told them enough. She knew of Bentley Johnson. Raven would bet that she knew him quite well. While she was distracted with her own thoughts, Lincoln slipped from the room. He threw open the door of the interview room and grabbed the woman’s collar.

“Where is Lexa?” Lincoln said. “Tell me where she is, or I’ll make sure you never see the light of day again.”

“If I tell you anything, I'll be dead anyway,” Tsing said. “Wallace will kill me.”

“Which Wallace?” Monty said.

“Does that matter?” she said.

“Give us a hint,” Monty said. “Anything. You know something. We can protect you. There's always  witness protection.”

“I want that in writing before I give you anything.”

Lincoln was out of the room in a second. Monty sighed and fell heavily into the chair across from her. He had never been trained in interrogation, but he felt like he was doing an okay job under the circumstances. When Lincoln returned with Kane and Raven, there was a contract in his hand. 

After everyone signed the paper, Dr. Tsing started talking.

* * *

Lexa heard the man begin descending the stairs. It had to be daylight. There was light coming down the stairs from the open door. She made sure to keep her hands locked behind herself. Her heart was pounding, but she was patient. 

The lack of food or water was beginning to wear her down. She was always dizzy. Lexa had never use recreational drugs, but this felt like a high. Her eyes did not want to stay open and her body ached. But if Lexa wanted out of this alive, she had to keep it together for a little bit longer. Lexa took a deep breath as he came into view.

“You’re awake,” he said. 

The light glinted off the gun in his hand. Lexa had not forgotten about his promise to bring it the next time he arrived. That is exactly why she waited until now to get her hands free of the  zip ties just like her daddy taught her to do when she was five.

* * *

Clarke grabbed the back of the chair and leaned over it. She stared at the ground for a long time. The moment their plane landed Raven was waiting for them with the car. She informed them of everything that happened as they rode to the police station. But now Clarke was standing in front of Monty and Lincoln. Her knuckles turned white from squeezing the metal chair.

“So, Bentley Johnson was the  middleman for Dante?” Clarke asked. “He delivered news and whatever else between Dante, Cage, and Tsing? He’s the one who killed the agents and delivered Lexa to Cage?”

“Yes,” Raven said.

“Who killed all those girls with the yarn around their finger?” Clarke said.

“Cage, we believe,” she said.

“You believe?”

“Clarke, Tsing isn’t part of the murders,” Monty said. “She only knows so much. We got as much out of her as we could.”

Clarke glared at him when she finally looked up from the ground. Raven stepped in front of him.

“This isn’t his fault,” Raven said.

“Where is Bentley Johnson?” she asked.

“The cops are searching for him. Kane’s searching, too.”

They all walked outside and down the steps of the police station. Lincoln and Indra got into a car together to help the cops search. It was a gorgeous day, but it was the worst day for Clarke. She wanted this to be over. She wanted Lexa back here, smirking and rolling her eyes. She wanted Lexa back with  _ her _ . 

“I think you should go to the hotel and rest for a bit,” Raven said.

“You can’t be serious,” she said. “We’re so close.”

“How are we close?”

“Once we find this Johnson person, we can figure out where she is and then go get her.”

“He isn’t going to talk, Clarke. I would be really surprised if he’s still alive. He's useless to the Wallaces now.”

Clarke had been thinking the same thing. Hearing it out loud was depressing. Johnson had delivered Lexa to Cage. That would have been the perfect opportunity to kill him. No one can talk once they are dead. Cage Wallace had left nothing behind so far. He would not start now that he had his grand finale. 

“I can’t believe Monty did that,” Clarke said. “How could he be so stupid?”

“Clarke,” she said. “He thought he was helping. Dr. Tsing was  a part of this investigation. None of us had any idea who she really was. Please go get some sleep. You know how you get when you don’t sleep.”

Even Clarke could admit that she was exhausted. She did need sleep. Her moods were starting to become erratic and she had an intense headache behind her eyes. 

“Fine, but you have to promise to wake me up if you find  _ anything _ ,” Clarke said. 

“I promise.”

Raven drove her to the hotel since Clarke was practically falling asleep on her feet. Once she was settled in bed, Raven started back toward the police station. Her mind was racing with all the things they still needed to do. She was  currently reading through Allison’s diary to figure out how Dante knew about Lexa. He had found the diaries when he killed her. They had a theory that one of her diaries contained something about her pregnancy and giving her baby up for adoption. 

The timeline matches. Once Dante found out about his orphaned daughter, he began targeting children who were raised in adoptive families. Cage seemed to have picked up where his father left off after Dante was caught. But that information would not find Lexa. Allison’s  diaries were not going to magically contain the address where Lexa was being held. They had already searched Cage’s home.

Raven took notes as she read through the diaries. Allison wrote everything down. Only a few times was Lexa mentioned and it was always very vague. Anyone reading the entries would not know who Allison was talking about if they did not know of Lexa. She just needed to find  _ something _ , and she needed to find it quick. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sure there are mistakes but i was eager to get this out for all you lovely readers

_ Clarke was riding in a speeding car with Raven in the driver’s seat. They were speeding through trees and bushes to follow the dirt road. She had no idea how they managed to follow a road smaller than the width of the car. When they finally came to the end, there was a house. The road led right up to the porch and Raven slammed on the brakes just before they hit the railing.  _

_ There were sounds coming from  _ _ inside _ _ the home. Clarke could not tell who was making the  _ _ sounds, _ _ but she had a decent idea of who they were coming from. With their guns raised in front of them,  _ _ they  _ _ started inside the house. Raven was following so closely behind that Clarke could feel her there. She was thankful to have her best friend with her when she was rescuing Lexa. _

_ “Lexa?” Clarke called up the stairs.  _

_ There were no longer any sounds coming from anywhere. Raven kicked down a door, but the bedroom was empty. Clarke followed her down the hallway and she kicked down another one. Lexa was inside, tied to the bed, and shouting. Clarke could not make out the words, but it was something about the person who kidnapped her.  _

_ “Clarke,” Lexa said. “Clarke, it’s you.” _

_ “It’s me,” she said as she untied her wrists. _

_ Clarke could not even imagine what had happened while she was held hostage here. She could  _ _ hear _ _ a door opening and then shouting. Raven was fighting with the kidnapper. Clarke grabbed Lexa and wrapped her arms around the woman. She would never be able to let her go now.  _

_ “Clarke,” Lexa said. “It’s okay. Everything's okay, Clarke.” _

_ “I should be the one comforting you,” Clarke said. “You’ve been gone for so long, Lexa.” _

_ Clarke leaned forward and kissed her. She squeezed her arms around the woman’s waist. She was so relieved to be seeing and feeling Lexa after all this time. It was the most amazing feeling she had ever had.  _

_ “Clarke, you have to wake up now,” Lexa whispered in her ear. _

_ “No, I don’t want to leave you,” she said.  _

_ Lexa's voice sounded like Raven’s now, but Clarke just held on tighter. She was so comfortable here with Lexa.  _

_ “Please don’t make me go,” Clarke begged. “I don’t want to leave you.” _

_ Lexa was fading away quickly. The room around them went first and then it was just the two of them surrounded by white. It reminded her of someone’s description of heaven. _

* * *

When Clarke woke, she was holding the pillow in her arms instead. Raven’s hand was on her shoulder, shaking her lightly. It had been Raven talking to her instead of Lexa. Lexa was still missing. Clarke looked at the window and saw the sun was out. 

“What time is it?” Clarke asked.

“It’s four,” she said.

Clarke sat up quickly. “In the afternoon?!” she asked. “How could you let me sleep for sixteen hours?”

“Because you desperately needed it. I do have good news. We found Bentley Johnson alive.”

Clarke swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. Her knees buckled. Her body felt still from not moving in sixteen hours. Clarke had never slept this long before. The news about Johnson gave her hope since they expected to find him dead. The Wallaces’ were known to be very irrational with their decisions. Dante had murdered his own wife simply because she wanted a divorce. He must have known he would get caught for all the other murders, too. Apparently, Cage Wallace was smarter than his father. That was not good news for Lexa.

“I’ll shower and then you can give me a ride to the station,” Clarke said. 

The dream replayed in Clarke’s mind as she showered. There were things she had been forcing herself not to think about. The other victims did not have signs of sexual abuse. Clarke had to think that he would not start now. Lexa was Cage’s half-sister. She forced herself to stop thinking of it before she got even more worked up about this whole case. She needed a level head if she wanted to help solve it.

“Has Bentley been interviewed?” Clarke asked as she climbed into the SUV.

“They’re holding him at the station now,” Raven said. “That’s why I came to get you. I figured you would want to ask him some questions.”

“Thank you.”

“What happened in your dream? You were saying Lexa’s name a lot.”

“Well, it was not a sex dream like I’m sure you’re thinking.”

Raven laughed and shook her head. “I wasn’t thinking that,” she said. 

“I had a dream that we found her. Me and you were the ones who found her, I mean.”

Clarke found it hard to think about finding Lexa in real life. She, of course, wanted to find Lexa. She wanted that more than anything, but the thought of seeing Lexa like that was terrifying. Lexa would  certainly be traumatized as so many kidnapping victims were. It would take years for her life to return to normal. That thought was scary. The thought of Lexa dying was petrifying. There was no comparison.

The parking lot was full when they arrived at the Ohio police station. When she entered the room, people openly stared at Clarke. Word traveled fast around this town. They were staring at her like Clarke stared at victims’  spouses . 

Cops in and out of uniform filled the room. FBI agents only stood out from the suits they wore. It was amazing how much support they had. Lexa was obviously someone important to all these people. Some were old enough to be her father’s age and worked with James when he was a cop.

“Thank you for finding him,” Clarke said to everyone. 

The nodded politely as she walked past them and toward the interrogation room. Clarke watched him for just a moment. He was an average looking young man. She stepped into the room and sat across from Bentley Johnson: the man who delivered Lexa to Cage.

“I’m Special Agent Clarke Griffin,” she said. “What is your name?”

“My driver’s license says Bentley Johnson,” he replied. “But you already knew that.”

“I did. What is your  _ real  _ name then?”

“Carl Emerson.”

“Then why do you go by Bentley?”

“I had no idea of my real name before I met the Wallaces.”

“Where did you take her? Where did Cage want you to drop her off?”

Carl obviously did not want to answer the question. It was not as though she thought he would. She was not, however, expecting the smirk of amusement on his face when he shrugged. This man  would certainly get jail time and he was happy. Clarke doubted he would live long in prison if Dante Wallace had a say in it.

Clarke bit the inside of her cheek. She studied his behavior for a moment. He was calm. The man’s face was still and even Clarke, who had been through rigorous training and had years of experience, could not read anything from his expression. His hands were folded on the table and his shoulders were pushed back. He was confident.

“Tell me how you met the Wallaces,” Clarke said.

Carl Emerson shrugged again. “Cage found me at work one day,” he said. “He took me to lunch and offered me money to help him out. I was homeless at the time. Didn't have a choice.”

“You did have a choice. You chose to kill two agents and kidnap a police officer. You chose to deliver her to Cage and you knew that he planned to kill her.”

“She deserved it.”

“Why?”

“Why did all the other women deserve it?”

Clarke glanced at the mirrored glass. She wished she could see Raven right now. If she could, Clarke would know what the other woman was thinking.

“You were transferred from the orphanage when you were ten. You went to a group home and left there when you were fifteen. Those women got adopted,” Clarke said. “You didn’t.”

It was beginning to make more sense, but things were getting more complicated. Every answer led to more questions.

“Why did Cage kill them instead of you?” she asked.

“I don’t have what it takes. He's like his dad that way. Dante had been such a mentor to me. He's like the father I never had. He kept saying I would get the business if I could just help his son out for a  little while longer...”

“Carl, I need you to tell me where she is. I don’t think you killed those women yourself. But you did have someone kill them for you. That's a long sentence right there. Wallace is not going to give you anything. You won’t survive jail for long once Dante finds out you’re there. I think you know that. If you tell us where she  is, we can help you.”

“Help me? You don’t want to help me. You have no proof I did anything anyway.”

“Carl, they’ve pinned everything on you,” she lied. “They’re rich and have the resources to do anything they want to.”

Clarke was not completely lying. Tsing had already given the man up as an  accomplice . She would be enough of a witness to sway a jury into a guilty plea. Clarke just needed a location now. If he did not tell them, she had no idea what their next moves would be. Bentley/Carl had all the answers they needed.

“Were you the boy in the picture?” Clarke asked.

“What picture?”

“The picture of Lexa with her parents.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Carl  Emerson was telling the truth. His eyebrows creased. It was the first emotion he had expressed. The Wallaces had betrayed him. Carl had put his faith in them.

“They were trying to frame you by leaving that picture at the safehouse, right?”

“I... I don’t know. I’m sure they have a good reason,” he said.

“I know they had a good reason. They wanted you to go down for everything and not Cage. I guess things got out of hand even for them.”

Raven entered the room. “They found Cage,” she said.

When Clarke looked back, she could see that Raven was lying. This was a tactic they used in desperate times. Lying to save Lexa’s life was not something she was above doing. However, Clarke had momentarily believed she was telling the truth.

Raven leaned down and whispered in Clarke’s ear. She met Carl’s eyes. There was fear in them now. Perhaps they were  getting somewhere. Raven left the room a moment later.

“Doesn’t look good for you, Carl,” Clarke said. “I’ll have you booked soon. Want some water or a coke maybe?”

“Wait,” he said quickly. “Wait. I can... I can give you the location where I dropped her off. But I need protection. They'll kill me if they find out I talked.”

“I’ll do what I can. Where did you take her?”

Clarke's heart was pounding as she gave him a piece of paper and a pen. She could barely see clearly. They were so close. She could almost smell Lexa. She always smelled good, even after a full day of sitting in a squad car. Her skin was always so soft. Even if Clarke did not give her the chance, she knew Lexa would hold her tightly. She was reminded of the morning she awoke holding Lexa. It had felt so good.

The second the note was in her hand, she nodded at the cops behind the glass who were watching. They filled the room and grabbed Carl’s hands to arrest him. He was trying to argue as they dragged him away.

Raven took the paper from Clarke’s shocked hand. She had waited six days to get this address and yet she found herself unable to move. Raven was shouting orders to the cops and agents. They started gearing up, preparing for whatever they would find at the home Carl claimed to have taken Lexa. 


	14. Chapter 14

The cuts on Lexa’s face burned as branches hit them over and over. She could feel her own blood soaking the collar of her shirt and running down her back. Her clothes were already dirty. The blood blended in with the rest of the stains. 

Lexa ran faster when she heard footsteps gaining on her. Cage was chasing her through the woods surrounding the house she had previously been trapped inside. She managed to escape the  zip ties around her wrist. The second he left her alone, Lexa took off running. But now he was chasing her through the woods with the gun still in his hand. Lexa ducked when she  heard a gunshot. The bullet whizzed past her and hit a tree not too far from where she was. 

Lexa knew this was her last chance to escape. If Cage caught her, he would not hesitant this time like he had in the basement. The sounds of him running became louder, so Lexa ran faster.

* * *

“You need to prepare yourself for what we may find here, Clarke,” Raven said. “I really think you should let us go in.”

“No,” Clarke said. “We aren’t going to find her body, Rae. If she was dead, I would know it.”

“Is that science?”

Clarke could tell she was being sarcastic, but she knew it was true. Lexa was alive. It sounded crazy, even to herself, but she felt it. There was no explanation. Poor Raven thought Clarke was going crazy. Maybe she had gone crazy, but would anyone blame her? These past six days have been the worst of her life. That included the death of her estranged husband.

“I’m not asking,” Raven said. “You’re staying out the house until we search it first.”

“Nice try, Rae,” she said. “I think you’re forgetting that I’m technically your boss.”

“You promised to never use that  against me.”

“This is different. This is important to me. If we go in there and she’s.... dead, I’ll handle it.”

“Come on, Clarke.”

“No, I'm serious. I'm your boss. I'm going in with you and everyone else.”

By the time they arrived, cops and agents surrounded the house. They had every  entrance and window guarded. The cops had large weapons in their hands with  Kevlar vests on. The agents wore  Kevlar , too. Lincoln put a vest on Clarke as soon as she got out of the car. He was worried she was going to run inside without any protection. She was suddenly very grateful for him. Not only was he a great friend to Lexa but to everyone.

The house standing before them very rundown and abandoned. The porch had holes. The wood had long ago dry rotted and  collapsed . They had not had time to check who owned the home before leaving the station. Monty could do that while they were helping Lexa. The paramedics were already waiting in the driveway.

“It’s too quiet,” Clarke said.

The people around her agreed. Some had shields in front of their faces as they pushed open windows to climb inside. Lincoln was the person to kick the door down. It fell heavily against the floor inside. The hinges were still strong despite how old  everything else was. 

Five cops ran up the stairs, more ran toward the kitchen, and someone else pulled open another door. Clarke looked down the stairs. She noticed the drops of blood on the stairs  immediately . Raven tried going down the stairs first. Clarke held her gun up as she descended them. Her feet moved slowly, but her heart was beating faster than it had ever beat before. Not even in her FBI field test had her heart pounded this hard.

“Lexa?” Clarke asked.

She was met with silence. The bottom of the stairs seemed too far away and too close. Before she could change her mind, Clarke took the last step down. She turned the corner and gasped.

No one had ever seen a crime scene like this one. After being at hundreds, never had Clarke seen something so horrific. Cage Wallace was bound to a pole in the middle of the cold, drafty basement. His entire body was covered in cuts and bruises. It looked as though whoever killed him had taken their time. They killed him  _ slowly _ . 

“This was Lexa,” Clarke said after the shock wore off.

“What?” Lincoln asked. “You think Lexa did this?”

Clarke walked around to the other side of his body and pointed at a zip tie that was still  intact . “He had her tied to this pole,” she said. “Who else do you know that can get out of a  zip tie ?”

“How do you know she can do that?” Raven asked.

“Did you forget who her father is?” she asked.

Clarke was having a hard time believing Lexa could do this, too. But she had been gone for six days and no one knew what she had gone through in that time. She stood and stared at Cage’s bruised face. There was a long cut on his cheek. This was the man who, presumably, tortured Lexa and now he was dead. She had been looking forward to arresting him. 

“If Lexa did this... then where is she?” Lincoln asked.

They stared at each other for a while. This was not what any of them expected to find. Clarke had been half expecting to find Lexa dead and Cage gone, not the other way around. 

“She must have  run off,” Clarke said. “We need to search the entire area. We need to figure out how long he’s been dead. Hopefully, she just left.”

The state medical examiner stepped past the small group. Clarke walked up the stairs as she did her testing. There was already a small search party preparing to search the woods. Clarke wanted to go with them, but she was needed at  the scene. 

After ten minutes, the  medical examiner determined that Cage had been dead for ten to twelve hours. This was not good news. Lexa could be  _ anywhere  _ by now. She could have caught a ride. She could have walked or ran miles away. Lexa could be hiding in the woods and dying somewhere, alone.

Even  Clarke felt out of her depth. They had found the murderer and yet they were still not done. Clarke desperately wanted all of this to be over. She wanted to talk to her son. She wanted to hold him. She wanted to hold Lexa’s cheeks and stare deep into her bright green eyes. 

* * *

Lexa sat down in the kitchen chair. Being in clean clothes and wet hair was something she had never appreciated fully until today. Her body ached and she was so tired, but her mom insisted on feeding her before she slept. It felt amazing to see her mom standing at the stove again. Lexa was reminded of coming home from school and doing her homework at this same table while her mom cooked. 

The same smells filled the house now. She had her own cookbook rested on the counter. Even though her mom had all the recipes memorized, Hannah liked looking at it in her book anyway. It was her grandmother’s cookbook. Before she died, her grandmother had written her recipes down. It had been Hannah who turned them into a book. 

“You’ll feel better after eating, sweetheart,” Hannah said. 

“It’s smells so good,” Lexa said. 

“I’m making biscuits and gravy with potato cakes.”

“Those are my favorite.”

“I know.”

Hannah turned and smiled over her shoulder. Her stomach growled as her mom laid plates of steaming food in the middle of the table. Lexa served herself as Hannah did the same. She had really missed bonding with her over food. No one appreciated breakfast for dinner quite like Hannah and Lexa. Her father only pretended to love it. 

“So, what happened, my love?” Hannah asked.

“He was going to kill me. I didn’t mean to do it. I just... I lost control.”

“Honey, that was self-defense.”

“Mama, I tied him to a pole and cut him up.”

“He’s lucky your father didn’t find him first. Wait until he hears what happened. That Cage Wallace will die twice.”

Lexa actually laughed. It was impossible, but she enjoyed the thought. Cage Wallace would never be able to hurt her or her family ever again. She did not want her father to ever meet him. James had always been the protector in their family, but it was Lexa who took on that role now. She could tell that it made her mama proud.

Hannah kissed her forehead once Lexa was lying down in bed. Her mother tucked Lexa in the way she had when she was younger. Lexa used to be terrified of the dark, but she would feel better after her mom tucked her in tight. It felt like a hug. 

“I love you, my baby,” Hannah said. She ran her fingers through Lexa’s hair before standing.

“I love you more, mama,” she said.

“Not possible, sweet girl.”

Hannah turned the lights off in her bedroom and closed the door. Lexa was asleep within seconds.

* * *

Lincoln fell heavily into his chair. He rested his face in his hands. Octavia entered the police station a few minutes later. She was carrying a takeout bag. Clarke had not seen Lincoln eat in a while. It was amazing how Octavia knew that. Maybe they had the same connection she had with Lexa.

“Eat, Lincoln,” Octavia said, firmly.

He did not argue. Once Octavia sat the food out, he started eating. Clarke could see that he was barely aware of his actions. They all felt depressed. Search parties were still out looking for Lexa, but they had no evidence to support her even running into the woods. 

The phone at the station rang and the cop behind the counter answered. Clarke rubbed at her eyes. Despite the sixteen hours of sleep, she was more  exhausted than ever. It must have been mental exhaustion.

“You’ll never believe this,” the cop said, the phone still to his ear. “They found Lexa! She's at her house.”

“Her house?!” Clarke asked. “Lexa’s at her own house?”

“Yes, they’re taking her to the hospital now,” he said. “You can meet them there.”

Clarke did not have to be told twice. She was out the door along with ten of the other cops. Raven squeezed her hand as they walked toward the SUV. 

_ Lexa was alive. _


	15. Chapter 15

Clarke could not enter Lexa’s hospital room for a long time. The woman was awake and sitting up in the bed. Her face and wrists were bruised. Clarke had no idea what she looked like underneath the hospital gown and sheet. She had been admitted to the hospital an hour ago. Lincoln had been the first to go into the room. Lexa had smiled when he entered, and they talked for a while. Apparently, Lexa had told him to go home. Octavia insisted on driving him to their apartment. 

Kane had already left, too. Everyone was days behind on sleep. Now that Lexa was here, they felt more comfortable to go home and rest. Clarke doubted they would be back until the next day. 

Now, Lexa sat alone in her room. She was staring out the hospital window and sipping water. The doctor said she was severely dehydrated and malnourished. Clarke had been expecting this. She had obviously lost weight in the six days she was gone. 

Lincoln and Kane warned her of Lexa’s mental state. They said she would not understand until speaking to Lexa herself. That might be what scared her the most, but Clarke could only avoid her for so long. It was not that she did not want to see Lexa. She was just scared. 

Clarke took a deep breath before pushing the door open. Lexa turned her face and Clarke could clearly see the bruises now. She had seen injuries like these so many times in battered women. Cage must have hit her many times. 

“Hi, Lexa,” Clarke said softly. 

Lexa watched her sit down in the chair. Lincoln had moved it closer to the bed. She looked up at Lexa’s face to see her staring. 

“Hi, Clarke,” Lexa replied. 

Clarke had so many questions, but Lexa was in no position to answer anything right now. According to Lincoln and Kane, she was not in the proper mental state to make any decisions yet. Lincoln had had to force her to allow the nurses to attach her to an IV. Her color was starting to come back thanks to the fluids. 

“I’m so happy to see you,” Clarke said. 

“Are you?” she asked. 

Clarke’s eyebrows furrowed as she looked at her. Lexa’s expression was impossible to read, but she was angry about something. The way she stared at Clarke made her think that Lexa was mad _at_ her for some reason. 

“Yes, of course I am. We've been searching for you. I was so worried about you, Lex.” 

“I’m sure. The only person really worried about me was my mom.” 

“Your mom?” 

“Yes. She was the one who found me in the woods and fed me and put me to sleep. You're the one who set me up.” 

Now Clarke understood what Lincoln and Kane were talking about when referring to Lexa’s mental state. This was not surprising after everything she had been through. The part about Clarke setting her up was a bit surprising, but lack of food and water had incredible effects on the brain. 

“Lexa, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I did not set you up.” 

“I’m tired. I think I should sleep now.” 

“I have one question before I go. What did the guy tell you that made you go with him? Why didn’t you fight, Lexa?” 

Lexa laid back and pulled the covers over her body. Clarke started to help but stopped. Lexa had flinched away from her touch. But it was okay. Clarke had been expecting her to be traumatized. It was going to take time to get her Lexa back. 

“I have to sleep now.” 

“Did he tell you he had my son? You went with him because you thought he had my child.” 

“Speaking of your child, you should go take care of him.” 

Clarke sighed. This conversation was useless right now. Overwhelming Lexa would only lengthen her recovery. She had stupidly thought their reunion would be happy. Perhaps they would kiss and promise to never leave each other again. It was impossible, but it was a nice thought. That was better than their reality. 

“I’ll let you sleep now,” Clarke said. 

She stood and started for the door. She half-expected Lexa to stop her from leaving. When Clarke looked back, Lexa was turned toward the window. 

* * *

“Her brain is overwhelmed,” Abby said. “The brain tries to protect itself when things like this happen. She could not believe or understand her reality, so she created her own.” 

“Is it possible that she... took on the persona of someone else?” Clarke asked. “The reason I’m asking is because... we found a man who we assume she killed in self-defense. The way she killed him is surprising though.” 

“I guess it’s possible,” her mom said. “How did the guy die?” 

“He was tied to a pole and cut with a knife one hundred times. I’m just... I'm having a hard time believing that Lexa could do that. She's a cop. She helps people.” 

“But this man tortured her, Clarke. If you really believe she didn’t do this, maybe she didn’t. Is there anyone else who could have done it?” 

“I don’t know. We have so much left to figure out. I swear, mom, this is the most confusing case I’ve ever investigated. Anyway, how is Aden?” 

“He’s watching videos of you. He likes to fall asleep to your voice. Clarke, I really think you need to come home to see him soon.” 

“I’m trying, mom. I promise. I just need to get a few more answers and I'll come back to see him. I promised to be at his birthday party this weekend anyway.” 

Clarke spoke to Aden for a long time. He wanted to tell her about everything he had learned at school, watched on YouTube, and played with at his grandparents' house. She found it adorable. Her heart ached to be with him again. He was the most important part of her life. Finding out she was pregnant with him had been one of the best days of her life. 

The pregnancy had been amazing. Finn spoiled her and she would spend afternoons laying in the hammock in their backyard. She read her unborn baby books. Clarke constantly spoke to him. Honestly, she was terrified of giving birth to him because then he would be out in this terrifying world. Her baby would be so fragile and vulnerable. Clarke would be unable to protect him from everything like she could when he was in her belly. 

Aden was not breathing when he came out. It took a full minute to hear his cry. The nurses and doctor had been nervous. Clarke could read their expressions as her baby lay in the little cot, unmoving. His face was blue. Then he cried and all was right in her world once more. 

This situation with Lexa reminded her of Aden’s birth. She had been unable to help her son then and she was unable to help Lexa now. Clarke could not get into Lexa’s brain and force her to see the truth. Even if Lexa returned to normal, there would be memories she could be repressing. Therapy would help but could not guarantee retrieval of every memory. Plus, Clarke did not want her to think about what it was like with Cage. 

Clarke thought of the man tied to that pole. Cage Wallace had killed so many women and he, most likely, tortured Lexa to some degree but seeing him like that had been shocking. She did not believe Lexa had done such a thing but there were no other leads. Lexa was there. Cage had kidnapped her. She got free of him somehow. Clarke could not even imagine Lexa being the one to inflict all those cuts. 

“It was nice talking to you, sweetheart,” Abby said. “Aden is downstairs talking to pappy about you.” 

“I miss you. I miss dad, too. I’ll be home soon. Friday by the latest. Thank you for planning his party, mom.” 

“I loved doing it.” 

Raven entered the hotel room as she hung up the phone and tossed it on the other pillow. Raven laid down beside her. They lay in silence for a long time. 

“She didn’t do it,” Clarke said. “I change what I said at the scene. It had to be someone else.” 

“Is that you speaking as an FBI agent or as a girlfriend?” Raven asked. 

“Does it matter? I know she didn’t do it. There were no marks on her hands to suggest she wielded a knife for hours. If she tortured Cage Wallace for hours, there would be marks.” 

“I agree with that.” 

“He was dead for ten hours and she managed to go home in that time? How far away is her house from that one? Twenty, thirty miles? How could she have run or walked that far in a short amount of time. The doctor said she hadn’t eaten in a long time.” 

“For what it’s worth, Lincoln agrees with you. If it wasn’t her, we need to figure out who it was.” 

“I really hope I’m right, Raven. I really hope she didn’t do it. I’m not upset that he’s dead, but I can’t even imagine her...” 

Raven turned her head and stared at Clarke for a while. There were still so many questions. Every answer they got only led to more questions. That was the theme of this case, it seemed. 

“She talked about her mom in the hospital. She was obviously hallucinating,” Clarke said. 

“We’ve seen that plenty of times before in victims. She'll be okay, Clarke. We'll make sure of it.” 


	16. Chapter 16

Lexa was awake when Lincoln arrived at the hospital the next day. The nurse was standing by her side as she changed the IV bag still attached to her hand. Some of her bruises were already beginning to heal, but the newer ones were still as black and blue as they were yesterday. Lexa looked up when he entered the room. 

They had been careful not to overwhelm her yesterday when he and Kane visited. Lexa had not said much about Cage. She had spoken of her mom and Lincoln had a feeling Cage had kept her high while she was tied up in that basement. She was having typical withdrawal symptoms, too. Panic attacks were a sign of withdrawal from hallucinogenic drugs. 

The nurse grinned at him politely as she left the room. Lexa sat up in the bed and fixed her pillow. Lincoln knew immediately that this Lexa was not the Lexa form before this happened. His Lexa would be complaining and making up every excuse in the world to go home. 

“How are you feeling today, Lexa?” Lincoln asked as he took the seat beside her bed. 

“I’m feeling really good,” she said. 

That response was surprising. She looked terrible and the hospital bed looked uncomfortable. 

“You should be getting out in a few days,” Lincoln said. “I was thinking you could stay in my apartment for a while.” 

“Why?” 

“Because you’ll probably experience... Lexa, it’s going to be hard to transition from here to home. I would feel more comfortable if you were with me for a while.” 

“I don’t need a babysitter, Lincoln.” 

“I know you don’t. You have no idea how upset this whole thing has made _me_. I haven’t slept in a week.” 

“You’re very sweet.” 

Lincoln stared at her for a moment, confused. This was not the Lexa from before. Lexa would always be his sister, but it was going to take time to get her back to normal. He had not truly been worried until now. 

“We need to talk. You're probably... confused. What did you find out from Cage? What did he tell you?” 

“Who?” 

“Cage. Cage Wallace. Didn't he tell you his name?” 

“No, I never knew his name. Cage, huh? Odd name.” 

“How did you escape, Lex?” 

Lexa sat up straighter against his pillow. She fixed the blanket that was covering her legs. Lincoln would have to remember to bring her a better one. Hospital blankets were always scratchy and uncomfortable. 

“I got my hands free of the zip ties,” Lexa said. “He came down. He was going to kill me that time because he had a gun in his hand. I don’t really know what happened after that, but I do remember the man... Cage tied to that pole. I had a bloody knife in my hand. I... I killed him, Lincoln. I don’t remember doing it, but there was no one else there.” 

“We never found a knife. Where did you put it?” 

“I just dropped it in the basement. I didn’t take it with me or hide it. I was so shocked that I had done it at all. I still can’t believe I did it.” 

Lincoln had a hard time believing that Lexa could have done that as well. He could not even imagine her slicing Cage up while he was tied to that pole. Lexa was no vengeful. She had already been free of the zip ties, so all she had to do was take the gun from him and leave. There was no need to kill him. Lincoln was not particularly upset that Cage Wallace was dead. It might have been nice to arrest Cage and see him in jail with his father, Dante. But, after seeing the state Lexa was in, Lincoln was fine with him being gone. 

“He tortured you, Lexa,” Lincoln said. “You were starving and dehydrated. You weren’t thinking straight.” 

“But I felt fine. That's what scares me. I was hungry and thirsty, yes, but I felt okay mentally. I managed to get my hands out of the zip ties, so I must have had some strength left.” 

“You aren’t a murderer, Lexa.” 

“I technically am, Lincoln.” 

The sadness in her eyes was heartbreaking. If Lexa was considered a murderer for killing Cage in self-defense then so was Lincoln. He had shot a man a few years back when he pulled a gun on him. Lincoln remembered that night very vividly, but he did not like to think about it. Octavia would try to get him to discuss it sometimes. She had even tried to get him into therapy, but he had never taken her up on that. The police force put him through a session after it happened to make sure it was self-defense and cleared him easily. 

“You aren’t,” he said again. Lincoln saw movement in his peripheral vision and looked toward the window showing the hospital hallway. “Do you want me to let Clarke in now?” 

“Sure,” she said. “Will you stay, too?” 

“If you want me to.” 

Lexa nodded. Lincoln moved to her other side and signaled for Clarke to come into the room. She closed the door behind herself and sat down on Lexa’s other side. 

“Do you care if I ask you questions?” Clarke asked. 

Lexa sighed. “I guess so,” she said. 

“I’m sorry. I know you’re probably sick of answering them.” 

“Clarke, I don’t appreciate being treated like a victim. I know how these things work. Did you forget that I’m a cop?” 

“No, I didn’t forget. But you are a victim in this situation, Lexa. I hate to tell you that and I'll do my best not to treat you that way, but you aren’t a cop in this situation. You're someone who went through something terrible and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you get the justice that you deserve.” 

“I already did,” Lexa said. “That guy is dead, and I killed him.” 

“Tell me how you did it.” 

“Well, I must have cut him up. I don’t remember doing it, but there was a knife in my hand, and he was dead. That's when I left.” 

“How did you get home so fast?” 

“I ran.” 

Clarke had a very hard time believing that Lexa ran all the way from the house where they found Cage to her own. Lexa must have been so weak and bruised. Even a marathon runner would have trouble running thirty miles in that condition. 

“You ran through the woods?” Clarke asked. 

“Yes, he was chasing me.” 

“I thought you cut him up. How could he chase you if he was dead?” 

Something clicked into place in Lexa’s mind. She broke their eye contact and stared down at her lap. Her fingers were moving nervously in her lap. 

“I keep getting confused, Clarke. I remember him being dead, but I also remembering him chasing me. He tried shooting me. You can check the tree the bullet hit. It wasn’t too far from the house, I think.” 

“We didn’t find anything like that when we were searching for you. I'll send someone back to check the trees, but I think we would have noticed something like that. Maybe you were hallucinating from the drugs he was giving you.” 

“Maybe. I don’t know. Can I go home now?” 

“I’ll ask the doctor, but I doubt it.” 

“Make them let me go.” 

“Lexa, I can’t do that. I won’t do that. If they think you should stay, then I agree.” 

Clarke could tell that Lexa’s feelings were hurt by that. Lincoln slipped from the room when a nurse walked by. They still needed the results of her tox screen to figure out which drugs she was given. That may help to confirm Lexa’s hallucinations. It would do little to help answer questions about her experiences though. They would have to work even harder to figure out what was real and what was not. 

“What do you know about Cage Wallace?” Clarke asked. 

“He called me sis a lot. I'm assuming he had something to do with my birth family. Am I right about that?” 

“Yes. He's your biological half-brother.” 

“So, all those women died because he wanted to kill me? Please, Clarke... please tell me that he has nothing to do with serial killer Wallace. Clarke, please don’t tell me that I’m related to Dante Wallace.” 

Clarke did not have to say anything. Tears welled in Lexa’s eyes as she stared at her. The pain in her eyes was heartbreaking. Clarke reached out to take her hand, but Lexa pulled it away. Clarke felt selfish for thinking of herself right now. She had wanted them to still go on that date. Clarke had stupidly thought Lexa would defy the odds and go back to normal. 

“Dante Wallace is your biological father,” Clarke said. “But blood doesn’t matter. James is your dad and you survived because of him. He taught you how to get out of the zip ties.” 

“Killing is in my blood. That's why I killed Cage so horrifically. I'm a killer.” 

“Lexa, you are not a killer. Don't say that. You did not do this, okay? There must be someone else. We haven’t even found the knife that was used. If you dropped it, why haven’t we found it?” 

“I did it, Clarke. I'm the daughter of a serial killer. It’s in my blood.” 

“That doesn’t make you one, Lexa. You know that. Cage was probably helping his father kill before he went to prison. Your birth mom gave you up to keep you from Dante.” 

The nurses entered the room a few moments later. She handed Clarke the tox screen report and Lincoln stopped beside her. Clarke quickly read over it. Just as they suspected, Lexa had been drugged with hallucinogenic drugs. 

“Liquid LSD,” Lincoln said. 

“Do me a favor, Lincoln,” Clarke said. “Go back to the house and check the surrounding trees for bullet holes. Lexa said Cage was chasing her and he tried shooting her, but it hit a tree. We need to find the knife, too. And Cage’s gun.” 

“I’ll get on that now,” he said before leaving the room. 

When Clarke looked back at Lexa, she was lying on her side and facing away from her. Guilt was normal in these situations, but Clarke had a feeling this guilt did not manifest from surviving a serial killed when the other women did not. Lexa felt like she was a part of the murderous acts in some way. How could Clarke convince her that she was not when it did not fit in with Lexa’s reasoning? Only time could convince Lexa. 

“I’ll leave you alone, Lexa,” Clarke said. “I’ll let you know if we find anything.” 

Lexa did not respond. Clarke left the room, closed the door, and started down the hall to find her doctor. She deserved to feel this way. Clarke deserved to feel this emptiness and sadness she did. Lexa had been nothing but nice to her from the very beginning and Clarke was too caught up in her own life to pay attention. Now, Clarke would probably never get the chance to change that. 


	17. Chapter 17

Clarke shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her body. Not only was she cold, but the morgue gave her the creeps.  Actually, it was not the morgue. She had spent plenty of time in morgues around the world. The body lying on the table in front of her is what gave her the creeps. 

“Okay, so this is the weirdest thing,” Monty said, leaning closer to the body lying on the table. “The person who made all these cuts was left-handed.”

“Lexa’s not left-handed,” Clarke said.

“No, but Allison Wallace is. I found that out from her diary entries.”

“Monty, Allison Wallace is dead.”

“I know. I’m just telling you.”

“What exactly  _ are  _ you telling me, Monty? Are you telling me that a dead woman came back to life and killed Cage?”

“Of course not. I’m just giving you all  the evidence I've found because it’s important to this case. There have been instances of someone taking on traits of another person to avoid taking the blame themselves.”

“But Lexa openly admitted that she did it. That doesn’t make sense.”

“Clarke, I’m the evidence guy. You’re the people guy. I’m just telling you what I know. The killer was  left-handed, and Lexa is right-handed.”

* * *

Lexa convinced the nurses not to call Clarke or anyone else when she was released. Since she was not under arrest, Lexa had no responsibility to wait for them and especially not Clarke. The woman had a way of manipulating her into saying things Lexa did not particularly want to. The burden on her shoulders was heavy, but she could not tell Clarke or anyone else. 

Lexa felt like a prisoner being released as she walked out of that hospital. She felt the same way when entering her home for the  first time in a month. It felt as though she had been gone for much longer than one month. All that was missing was her father. Lexa missed him so much that her heart ached.

Instead of sleeping like she should have, Lexa made her way to the shed. She pulled out the plants she had wanted to put into the ground before all this started. Some of the plants were still alive somehow. Lexa grabbed her gardening gloves and shovel.

* * *

“Shine the light this way,” Lincoln said to one of the agents.

The guy did as he asked. There was  definitely a mark in the tree in front of him that suggested being shot by a bullet. But it was impossible. Had Cage dragged Lexa back down into the basement? How did he end up dead? 

Lincoln desperately needed to see Lexa, but Clarke had asked that he not overwhelm her. Lexa was his best friend, his sister, his partner. Clarke did not know Lexa the way he did. There was something they were  missing and only Lexa knew what that something was. 

The agent called the hospital as Lincoln searched the surrounding area for a gun with one of the metal detectors they had brought along. Someone had suggested that the gun or knife could have been buried and he thought that was a worthwhile thought. Lexa had been released hours ago according to the nurse who spoke to the FBI agent. That did not surprise Lincoln. Lexa had always been very headstrong. Why would be tortured and starved change that?

When he arrived at her house, Lexa was gardening in her front lawn. She was on her knees in the grass as she dug a hole for a plant sitting beside her on the concrete path. He had no idea how she was even awake right now. 

“Need any help?” Lincoln asked as he  approached .

Lexa jumped when she heard his voice. “Are you trying to kill me?” she asked.

“Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking. I wanted to come by and tell you that we found the bullet hole in the tree. You weren’t hallucinating that.”

“I told you that I wasn’t.”

Lincoln sat on the porch steps as she got back to digging in her landscaping. There were other freshly dug holes were new plants now lived. Her house always looked so nice despite the hours she worked. Seeing her  house made him want to buy one for Octavia. If Lexa could make it work, certainly the two of them could. 

That is what made this situation so hard for Lincoln. Lexa had always been the one to have her shit together. Not only was she a badass cop who showed the  misogynistic men that women could do everything a man could (and probably better), but Lexa was a great daughter and friend. She was always there for anyone who needed her. No matter what was going on, Lexa would drop what she was doing to help Lincoln out. He was having a hard time seeing her as anything but a victim now. If Lexa Woods could become a victim, anyone could. 

“Let me help you,” Lincoln said. 

“No, that’s okay,” she said. “I’m almost done.”

“Your father is doing well. You should be able to contact him soon. I think they’re going to fly him back after the trail and stuff. I wanted to give you time to recover.”

“I appreciate that, but I would like to see him. Could you set up a video chat or something tomorrow?”

“I will.”

Lexa stood when the last plant was in the ground. She threw the dead plants in pots away before leading Lincoln inside her house. The air was stuffy from lack of air conditioning or heat for a month. She poured him a mug of tea from the teapot on the stove.

“It seems like you’re feeling much better than you were in the hospital,” Lincoln said.

“I am. I’m feeling much better actually. I think being here takes the weight off my chest. My life isn’t over or anything.”

“No, it isn’t. I still have a ton of things to do.”

“Lexa, what is it that you aren’t telling us?”

Lincoln noticed her  freeze, but the pause was brief. it confirmed his belief that she was hiding something. She turned back around once she had a mug filled for herself. 

“Lincoln, I love you. You know that I love you. I need you to trust me, okay? I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you and I don’t want you to tell Clarke about this conversation either. Can you promise me that?”

“Lexa, she’s talking about ghosts and shit. She's losing her mind over this case.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but she can’t know the truth. No one can.”

“There was someone else there. You did not do this. Who did it, Lexa?”

“I did it.”

“No, you didn’t. I'm not stupid. No one is going to file charges against you, but people are starting to think that you killed Cage in that awful way.”

“Because I did, Lincoln. You need to accept that.”

“I don’t and I never will. I know that you didn’t. There was someone down there with you. You know that Clarke will figure it out. She's a lot of things, including annoying, but she’s even more stubborn and  hardheaded than you are.”

Lexa grinned. She looked down at her cup and brought it to her mouth with both hands.

“I certainly hope not,” Lexa said. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Two Weeks Later**

Clarke had never believed in ghosts. When she was younger, she had the same suspicions that all kids did. There might have been something scary in her closet, but her daddy always took care of whatever monster lurked in the darkness. Lexa’s case reminded her of the monsters in her closet. She hoped they were not real, but they still scared her. 

Seeing Aden had put her in a better mood. Lexa was alive. Her son was happy and healthy. Her parents were taking good care of him and the case was almost closed. There were only a few things they had to work out. 

The gun or knife had never been found. Clarke could only assume that Lexa had hidden them in her hallucinated state and then forgotten where they were. At least, that is the assumption she made on the reports. There were still a million questions to be answered and she doubted they ever would be. Those questions kept her up at night. No matter how many times she questioned Lexa, the woman gave her the same answers. 

Lexa had apparently been the one to cut Cage up. The hunger and thirst had given her temporary insanity. The left-handed aspect was still a conundrum to everyone. They could only assume that Lexa had used her non-dominant hand to do the deed. 

The bullet hole in the tree was something that no one could explain. Lexa said that he chased her for a while and took her back to the basement. Then, she managed to fight him for the gun and then tie him to the pole. Clarke did not believe that either. 

Everything about the case bothered her, but what bothered her more was her relationship with Lexa. Well, her lack of relationship with Lexa. When she had finally been ready to admit her feelings, it had been too late. Clarke did not blame Lexa at all. She only had herself to blame for that. 

“You almost ready?” Raven asked, rolling her suitcase toward the door. 

“Yes,” Clarke replied. “I was going to stop at Lexa’s before heading to the airport. Do you mind?” 

“No. We have time.” 

Raven drove toward Lexa’s farmhouse. Her father would be coming home soon which she knew made Lexa happy. Once James was back in Ohio, everything would be back to normal. It would take time for Lexa to be normal again, but at least her life would have the same routine as it did before. She would even be going back to work in a week. 

Lexa was sitting on the porch when the car parked in the driveway. She smiled at them as Clarke got out. Lexa seemed genuinely happy and that made Clarke happy. She would hate to leave Lexa when she was still feeling out of control from the kidnapping. Therapy was obviously working wonders for her. 

“What are you doing here?” Lexa asked as she rocked in the chair. 

Clarke sat in the rocking chair beside her. “I wanted to come see you before we left for good,” she said. 

“I’m doing fine, Clarke. I really am.” 

“I know. That makes me so happy. I would hate to leave you while you were still... you know.” 

“I know. I am sad to see you go.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, I really am. I had thought things would turn out differently.” 

“We all did. Lexa, we could still... try. If you wanted to.” 

Lexa looked at the car that Raven was still inside of. She stared out at the yard for bit as she seemed to think about it. Clarke desperately wished she could hear Lexa’s thoughts right now. 

“I do want to,” Lexa said. “Do you really think it’s possible though? Would you ever move here? I don’t really see myself living in Washington.” 

“You mean leave my job? I don’t know if I could do that.” 

“I know. That's why I’ve been avoiding this conversation. I can’t leave Lincoln and Anya. My dad would not do well with moving.” 

“Maybe there’s something I can do from here. Raising Aden here wouldn’t be a bad decision. My parents could come visit a lot.” 

“You know... when I was in that basement, I realized that my biggest regret would have been never experiencing having a family. If I had died, I would have never gotten the chance to find out what that’s like. I want that. I'm in my thirties. There's a time issue.” 

“You would want to have a baby?” 

“Maybe.” Lexa shrugged. “I don’t think I could raise a child by myself and take care of my dad though. I can’t put him in one of those homes. He needs me and I need him.” 

“Lexa... I’m not sure if I should say this or not... but I’m in love with you,” Clarke said. “I’m sorry for everything that I did. I could blame my guilt over the death of Finn, but I was just being an asshole to you. You being gone... it changed me. It made me realize how stupid I was being before.” 

“I... I love you too. I thought about you while I was gone. But I think it may be too hard to keep this going with the distance.” 

“I want to try. Please, Lexa. Let’s just try. I’ll move here. We can try the long-distance thing for a bit and then I’ll move here if things work out.” 

Lexa reached out and took her hand. She looked over at Clarke, smiling. “Okay,” she said. 

* * *

**Two Months Later**

Clarke held Aden’s hand as they walked through the airport. He was excited to finally meet Lexa. They had technically spoken plenty of time, but it was always over video chat. Aden really liked Lexa. He thought she was funny and nice. Once he even told her that he liked Lexa because Clarke smiled a lot when they talked on the phone. 

Lexa was sitting, messing with her phone, when Clarke and Aden found her by the baggage claim. She was in full uniform, having just got off work, and stood when she saw them. Aden pulled Clarke harder. 

“Hi, Lexa,” Aden said, smiling. 

“Hi, Aden,” she said, squatting down in front of the seven-year-old. “How was your flight?” 

“Kinda scary,” he said. “But mommy said it was just the air that made it bumpy. Can it be bumpy if it isn’t on the road? How do planes get in the sky anyway? Are their air cops? They catch bad guys in the sky.” 

Clarke laughed as she approached with her suitcase. “Aden, you can ask as many questions as you want in the car,” she said. 

Lexa stood and took one of the bags from her. “Hi,” she said. She was not sure what the protocol was for kissing in front of your girlfriend’s kid. 

Thankfully, Clarke kissed her first. “Hi,” she replied. 

Lexa held one of Aden’s hands as they walked since he wanted her to. The drive home was filled with Aden asking question after question about everything he saw or thought. He asked a lot about farm animals and how to grow plants. He apparently wanted a garden. The first thing Lexa did was show Aden her garden. 

“You can pick all the big red tomatoes for me if you want to,” Lexa said. 

Aden happily bounded toward the plants with the bag she gave him. Clarke was smiling as they sat in the chairs on the back porch. 

“You’re good with him,” Clarke said. “He really likes you.” 

“He’s a really good kid.” 

“Lexa, there’s something I have to tell you. Dante Wallace is dead.” 

“Really?” 

Lexa’s eyes were on Aden walking through the plants and carefully picking each other with care. 

“Yes. We think someone was hired for an inside job. Another lifer killed him.” 

“Well... I guess I'm not too upset.” 

“You shouldn’t be. I’m not really sure how to tell you this, but... he left all his money to you.” 

“What?” 

“It’s true. Someone will contact you soon about it. He changed his will after Cage died.” 

Lexa sighed and looked over at her now. She laced her fingers through Clarke’s hand. “Well, we can send Aden to a nice school,” Lexa said. 

* * *

**One Year Later**

Lexa was sitting on the porch as Clarke and Aden kicked a ball back and forth all morning. James was sitting in the porch swing. Lexa had been nauseous all morning and was finally feeling better. Clarke's first trimester had been the only time she had been nauseous during her own pregnancy. Lexa’s had last the entire fourteen weeks so far. She was not showing yet, but Clarke had finally convinced her to take desk duty. 

Clarke no longer traveled. She loved staying at home every night and making dinner for her family. Now that they were expecting another baby, Clarke was extra thankful. They had used some of the Wallace money to open Clarke’s business. Thankfully, they were well off enough to hire other people to do the work they could not. 

Later that night, Lexa was doing a puzzle with Aden while Clarke was sitting at the dining room table and on her laptop. James had gone to sleep hours ago. 

“Lexa, come here please,” Clarke said. 

She stood and sat down across from Clarke at the table. “What’s the matter?” she asked. 

“There’s something weird about the account with the money in it. You know... the _money_.” 

“I know the money you’re talking about and I know the withdrawal that you’re talking about.” 

“What did you do with ten million dollars? You transferred it... what? Eight months ago?” 

“I donated it.” 

“Lexa, that’s a huge donation. What organization did you donate that to?” 

“Clarke, please don’t make me lie to you. I don’t want to. Just... you’ll have to trust me.” 

“I do trust you, sweetheart. I'll... okay. I won’t ask about it again.” 

Lexa stood and kissed the top of her head. “I love you,” she said. 

Clarke smiled and pressed her forehead to Lexa’s small, pregnant belly. “I love you too,” Clarke said. 

* * *

**Five years later**

Aden came out of the house in the only black suit he owned. He looked so handsome, but Clarke could not say anything. Madi had been crying all morning about her dead hamster. Lexa had to carry her out of the house. Their daughter’s face was tucked into her mama’s neck as she cried. The baby started crying in the carrier he was lying in and she reached down to lift him. Once in Clarke’s arms, he calmed. 

“Sweetheart, it’s okay,” Lexa said softly to their daughter. 

Once Lexa put her down, Madi looked at the little box where her dead hamster was. She sniffled. 

“Read the letter you wrote to him,” Clarke said. 

“Bubby, you say first,” Madi said. 

Aden looked down at the box and folded his hands in front of himself. He had never really liked the hamster, but he did love his little sister. 

“Sparkles,” Aden started. “You were a very good friend to Madi. She really liked when you rolled around in your little ball and I’m sorry for letting you go down the stairs that one-time last year.” 

Clarke met Lexa’s eyes and they had to hold back laughter. 

“You were my best friend, Sparkles,” Madi said. “And I’m sorry you died. I love you.” 

Lexa took the baby from Clarke’s arms and wrapped her free hand around the blonde’s waist. They held each other as Madi cried again and then gave Sparkles the paper she colored of the two of them. Lexa led them inside after the ‘funeral’ and Clarke started to dig a hole for the box to go in. 

They decided to bury him by the small tree by the driveway. The shovel hit something metal. Clarke laid it on the ground and bend down to dig out whatever it was by hand. Once the dirt was out of the way, Clarke’s eyes landed on a knife and a gun buried in Lexa’s landscaping. She sat back on her heels and stared at the two objects. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as things seemed to come together. 

Clarke buried the box and refilled the hole with the weapons still buried. The ten million dollars had always bothered her, but Clarke knew where that money had gone now. She also knew who had hired the lifer to kill Dante. 

When she got into the house, the four of them were watching a movie on the couch. Clarke washed her hands and sat down beside Lexa. Their eyes met and Clarke’s questions were answered. Lexa had chosen that spot for the burial because she wanted Clarke to find the weapons. 

Their hands laced together on the back of the couch and Lexa brought Clarke’s to her mouth. She kissed the back of her wife’s hand softly. 

Lexa Woods-Griffin had not killed Cage Wallace. She had run from him, but someone found her in the woods. Someone who had been protecting her since before she was born. Clarke had never personally seen Allison’s body, but it was said to have been desecrated with acid. But it had not been Allison found dead in her apartment all those years ago.

 _Because Allison Wallace was alive._


End file.
